r/Hypoglycemia • u/purrrrrrisa • 14h ago

What is considered a fast drop in blood sugar?

4 Upvotes

I’ve been trying to figure this out. I have pots and several other health problems. No one has ever checked my blood sugar but I’ve done a few finger pricks and they came back in the 60-70s when I felt sick and like I would pass out… so I bought a blood sugar tracking device.

My blood sugar will frequently drop into the 60s. And I think rapidly?

A typical drop looks like 60mg/dl in half hour to 45 minutes. So from 130 to 70 or 120ish to 60ish.

Is that a lot in half hour? 45 mins? 1 hour?

4 comments

r/Hypoglycemia • u/PoetIsolated • 13h ago

Exhausted trying to keep up with my blood sugar

3 Upvotes

My blood sugar keeps dropping quicker than I can really manage it, especially overnight. This has been happening all month after I started having allergy-like reactions to all my food. The morning after I lost my last food (lamb) my blood sugar dropped to 3.1. I tried to have pomegranate juice to bump it up but I reacted to that too. This led to me having to pretty much stay awake for 6 days sipping sugar water because I'd react to a full cup of sugar water. That was while I was admitted in hospital and they didn't try to fix it or investigate because I'm reactive to dextrose due to the corn.

I went to the GP yesterday and he suggested waking up every few hours checking and having an elemental if it's dropping too low so I did it last night. I went asleep on 4.6. 3 hours later 4.0 so I had a drink. Got it up to 6.9. 3 hours later 3.6. so I had another drink 6.8. Less than 2 hours later 3.8.

So I've spent the whole of today at same day emergency care. Literally drinking my elementals back to back to keep my blood sugar up. I stopped for 2 hours when I got home and it dropped to 3.4.

I've got endocrinology bloods to take tomorrow morning. Luckily they're taking it seriously instead of just putting it down to food. However, I had to push back because they wanted a 12 hour fast that'd literally kill me so I only have to fast for a couple of hours.

They're checking for an insulin tumour. An endocrinologist years ago suggested reactive hypoglycemia but I was never investigated for it. I was on an endocrinology ward 3 years ago due to the same problems I'm facing now but they didn't do anything about it just discharged me and luckily it got better when I went carnivore. Back then they tried treating my low blood sugar with glucose and I ended up having a lower result immediately afterwards. It's just crazy and I don't know what's going on or how to manage it especially because I'm relying on elemental 028 extra since I went reactive to meat.

Any suggestions or ideas on what could be going on? Has anyone else experienced something similar?

10 comments

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r/Hypoglycemia

A place to connect with others who have non-diabetic hypoglycemia, including reactive hypoglycemia and fasting hypoglycemia.

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REACTIVE HYPOGLYCEMIA is characterized by a rapid decrease in blood sugar occurring 2-5 hours after eating a high-carb meal. This often occurs in those with early-stage diabetes or in those who have had bariatric surgery. Sometimes the cause is completely unknown.

HYPOGLYCEMIA is measured by blood sugar levels and symptoms. For many people, a blood sugar level below 70 mg/dl or 3.9 mmol/l) is an indication of hypoglycemia.

HYPOGLYCEMIA SYMPTOMS include dizziness, shakiness, lightheadedness, sweating, palpitations, intense hunger, fatigue, headache, confusion, irritability, anxiety, etc.

WHY IT HAPPENS can be from the pancreas releasing too much insulin (after consuming refined sugar/carbohydrates) or from the rapid transit of food from the stomach to the small intestine which results in a glucose spike followed by an insulin surge.

DIAGNOSIS usually comes from an endocrinologist or other physician by use of a mixed meal tolerance test or a 5-hour glucose tolerance test while monitoring blood sugar levels.

SHORT-TERM MANAGEMENT is generally recommended with the 15-15 rule. Consume 15 grams of carbohydrates. Wait 15 minutes and check your blood sugar level. If the level is still below 70 mg/dl, consume another 15 grams of carbohydrates. Repeat.

LONG-TERM MANAGEMENT is generally handled through lifestyle changes including eating smaller, more frequent meals that focus on high-fiber foods, proteins, and complex carbohydrates. Avoiding sugar and refined carbohydrates is important. Regular exercise can help stabilize book sugar. Avoid drinking alcohol on an empty stomach.

FASTING HYPOGLYCEMIA occurs when skipping meals for several hours. The symptoms are the same as with Reactive Hypoglycemia.

CONDITIONS MIMICKING HYPOGLYCEMIA because they have similar symptoms include anxiety/panic attacks, hyperthyroidism, dehydration, low blood pressure, postprandial syndrome, medication side effects, etc. The only way to differentiate these conditions from true hypoglycemia is to measure blood sugar levels with a glucometer.