Hi everyone
Is anyone else suffering from a condition called ''hypoglycemia'' which is possibly as a result of methamphetamine (and ecstasy) abuse? Any advice appreciated!
Kate
Hey Kate,
I just sent you an email. Can you post some info on hypoglycemia? I was tested for diabetes about 5 years ago and twice it came back positive but then it was negaitve when I did the glucose tolerance test which is the main test so they said I'm borderline diabetic. But also was tested for low blood sugar recently and I have that, mostly first thing in the morning. What does all that mean? lol
Hugs
charmed
I just sent you an email. Can you post some info on hypoglycemia? I was tested for diabetes about 5 years ago and twice it came back positive but then it was negaitve when I did the glucose tolerance test which is the main test so they said I'm borderline diabetic. But also was tested for low blood sugar recently and I have that, mostly first thing in the morning. What does all that mean? lol
Hugs
charmed
I don't do meth (as a matter of fact, I only tried it one time in 1992 and I ended up in the hospital from doing too much.... lucky me, I guess).... but I was addicted to pain pills for 2 1/2 years and when I decided to get clean, I had a bunch of blood work done and found out that I was malnurished and anemic. I was also critically lacking B vitamins and potassium. I have always eaten well (but didn't take vitamins), so the only thing I can think is that the vicodin was responisble for that.
info on Hypoglycemia:
Hypoglycemia, also called low blood sugar, occurs when your blood glucose (blood sugar) level drops too low to provide enough energy for your body's activities. In adults or children older than 10 years, hypoglycemia is uncommon except as a side effect of diabetes treatment, but it can result from other medications or diseases, hormone or enzyme deficiencies, or tumors.
Glucose, a form of sugar, is an important fuel for your body. Carbohydrates are the main dietary sources of glucose. Rice, potatoes, bread, tortillas, cereal, milk, fruit, and sweets are all carbohydrate-rich foods.
After a meal, glucose molecules are absorbed into your bloodstream and carried to the cells, where they are used for energy. Insulin, a hormone produced by your pancreas, helps glucose enter cells. If you take in more glucose than your body needs at the time, your body stores the extra glucose in your liver and muscles in a form called glycogen. Your body can use the stored glucose whenever it is needed for energy between meals. Extra glucose can also be converted to fat and stored in fat cells.
When blood glucose begins to fall, glucagon, another hormone produced by the pancreas, signals the liver to break down glycogen and release glucose, causing blood glucose levels to rise toward a normal level. If you have diabetes, this glucagon response to hypoglycemia may be impaired, making it harder for your glucose levels to return to the normal range.
Symptoms
Symptoms of hypoglycemia include
hunger
nervousness and shakiness
perspiration
dizziness or light-headedness
sleepiness
confusion
difficulty speaking
feeling anxious or weak
Hypoglycemia can also happen while you are sleeping. You might
cry out or have nightmares
find that your pajamas or sheets are damp from perspiration
feel tired, irritable, or confused when you wake up
Hypoglycemia in People Who Do Not Have Diabetes
Two types of hypoglycemia can occur in people who do not have diabetes: reactive (postprandial, or after meals) and fasting (postabsorptive). Reactive hypoglycemia is not usually related to any underlying disease; fasting hypoglycemia often is.
Symptoms
Symptoms of both types resemble the symptoms that people with diabetes and hypoglycemia experience: hunger, nervousness, perspiration, shakiness, dizziness, light-headedness, sleepiness, confusion, difficulty speaking, and feeling anxious or weak.
If you are diagnosed with hypoglycemia, your doctor will try to find the cause by using laboratory tests to measure blood glucose, insulin, and other chemicals that play a part in the body's use of energy.
Reactive Hypoglycemia
In reactive hypoglycemia, symptoms appear within 4 hours after you eat a meal.
Diagnosis
To diagnose reactive hypoglycemia, your doctor may
ask you about signs and symptoms
test your blood glucose while you are having symptoms (The doctor will take a blood sample from your arm and send it to a laboratory for analysis. A personal blood glucose monitor cannot be used to diagnose reactive hypoglycemia.)
check to see whether your symptoms ease after your blood glucose returns to 70 or above (after eating or drinking)
A blood glucose level of less than 70 mg/dL at the time of symptoms and relief after eating will confirm the diagnosis.
The oral glucose tolerance test is no longer used to diagnose hypoglycemia; experts now know that the test can actually trigger hypoglycemic symptoms.
Causes and Treatment
The causes of most cases of reactive hypoglycemia are still open to debate. Some researchers suggest that certain people may be more sensitive to the body's normal release of the hormone epinephrine, which causes many of the symptoms of hypoglycemia. Others believe that deficiencies in glucagon secretion might lead to hypoglycemia.
A few causes of reactive hypoglycemia are certain, but they are uncommon. Gastric (stomach) surgery, for instance, can cause hypoglycemia because of the rapid passage of food into the small intestine. Also, rare enzyme deficiencies diagnosed early in life, such as hereditary fructose intolerance, may cause reactive hypoglycemia.
To relieve reactive hypoglycemia, some health professionals recommend taking the following steps:
eat small meals and snacks about every 3 hours
exercise regularly
eat a variety of foods, including meat, poultry, fish, or nonmeat sources of protein; starchy foods such as whole-grain bread, rice, and potatoes; fruits; vegetables; and dairy products
choose high-fiber foods
avoid or limit foods high in sugar, especially on an empty stomach
Your doctor can refer you to a registered dietitian for personalized meal planning advice. Although some health professionals recommend a diet high in protein and low in carbohydrates, studies have not proven the effectiveness of this kind of diet for reactive hypoglycemia.
Fasting Hypoglycemia
Diagnosis
Fasting hypoglycemia is diagnosed from a blood sample that shows a blood glucose level of less than 50 mg/dL after an overnight fast, between meals, or after exercise.
Causes and Treatment
Causes include certain medications, alcohol, critical illnesses, hormonal deficiencies, some kinds of tumors, and certain conditions occurring in infancy and childhood.
Medications
Medications, including some used to treat diabetes, are the most common cause of hypoglycemia. Other medications that can cause hypoglycemia include
salicylates, including aspirin, when taken in large doses
sulfa medicines, which are used to treat infections
pentamidine, which treats a very serious kind of pneumonia
quinine, which is used to treat malaria
If using any of these medications causes your blood glucose to drop, your doctor may advise you to stop using the drug or change the dosage.
all info was found from the
The National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse (NDIC)
hope this helps
raerae
Hypoglycemia, also called low blood sugar, occurs when your blood glucose (blood sugar) level drops too low to provide enough energy for your body's activities. In adults or children older than 10 years, hypoglycemia is uncommon except as a side effect of diabetes treatment, but it can result from other medications or diseases, hormone or enzyme deficiencies, or tumors.
Glucose, a form of sugar, is an important fuel for your body. Carbohydrates are the main dietary sources of glucose. Rice, potatoes, bread, tortillas, cereal, milk, fruit, and sweets are all carbohydrate-rich foods.
After a meal, glucose molecules are absorbed into your bloodstream and carried to the cells, where they are used for energy. Insulin, a hormone produced by your pancreas, helps glucose enter cells. If you take in more glucose than your body needs at the time, your body stores the extra glucose in your liver and muscles in a form called glycogen. Your body can use the stored glucose whenever it is needed for energy between meals. Extra glucose can also be converted to fat and stored in fat cells.
When blood glucose begins to fall, glucagon, another hormone produced by the pancreas, signals the liver to break down glycogen and release glucose, causing blood glucose levels to rise toward a normal level. If you have diabetes, this glucagon response to hypoglycemia may be impaired, making it harder for your glucose levels to return to the normal range.
Symptoms
Symptoms of hypoglycemia include
hunger
nervousness and shakiness
perspiration
dizziness or light-headedness
sleepiness
confusion
difficulty speaking
feeling anxious or weak
Hypoglycemia can also happen while you are sleeping. You might
cry out or have nightmares
find that your pajamas or sheets are damp from perspiration
feel tired, irritable, or confused when you wake up
Hypoglycemia in People Who Do Not Have Diabetes
Two types of hypoglycemia can occur in people who do not have diabetes: reactive (postprandial, or after meals) and fasting (postabsorptive). Reactive hypoglycemia is not usually related to any underlying disease; fasting hypoglycemia often is.
Symptoms
Symptoms of both types resemble the symptoms that people with diabetes and hypoglycemia experience: hunger, nervousness, perspiration, shakiness, dizziness, light-headedness, sleepiness, confusion, difficulty speaking, and feeling anxious or weak.
If you are diagnosed with hypoglycemia, your doctor will try to find the cause by using laboratory tests to measure blood glucose, insulin, and other chemicals that play a part in the body's use of energy.
Reactive Hypoglycemia
In reactive hypoglycemia, symptoms appear within 4 hours after you eat a meal.
Diagnosis
To diagnose reactive hypoglycemia, your doctor may
ask you about signs and symptoms
test your blood glucose while you are having symptoms (The doctor will take a blood sample from your arm and send it to a laboratory for analysis. A personal blood glucose monitor cannot be used to diagnose reactive hypoglycemia.)
check to see whether your symptoms ease after your blood glucose returns to 70 or above (after eating or drinking)
A blood glucose level of less than 70 mg/dL at the time of symptoms and relief after eating will confirm the diagnosis.
The oral glucose tolerance test is no longer used to diagnose hypoglycemia; experts now know that the test can actually trigger hypoglycemic symptoms.
Causes and Treatment
The causes of most cases of reactive hypoglycemia are still open to debate. Some researchers suggest that certain people may be more sensitive to the body's normal release of the hormone epinephrine, which causes many of the symptoms of hypoglycemia. Others believe that deficiencies in glucagon secretion might lead to hypoglycemia.
A few causes of reactive hypoglycemia are certain, but they are uncommon. Gastric (stomach) surgery, for instance, can cause hypoglycemia because of the rapid passage of food into the small intestine. Also, rare enzyme deficiencies diagnosed early in life, such as hereditary fructose intolerance, may cause reactive hypoglycemia.
To relieve reactive hypoglycemia, some health professionals recommend taking the following steps:
eat small meals and snacks about every 3 hours
exercise regularly
eat a variety of foods, including meat, poultry, fish, or nonmeat sources of protein; starchy foods such as whole-grain bread, rice, and potatoes; fruits; vegetables; and dairy products
choose high-fiber foods
avoid or limit foods high in sugar, especially on an empty stomach
Your doctor can refer you to a registered dietitian for personalized meal planning advice. Although some health professionals recommend a diet high in protein and low in carbohydrates, studies have not proven the effectiveness of this kind of diet for reactive hypoglycemia.
Fasting Hypoglycemia
Diagnosis
Fasting hypoglycemia is diagnosed from a blood sample that shows a blood glucose level of less than 50 mg/dL after an overnight fast, between meals, or after exercise.
Causes and Treatment
Causes include certain medications, alcohol, critical illnesses, hormonal deficiencies, some kinds of tumors, and certain conditions occurring in infancy and childhood.
Medications
Medications, including some used to treat diabetes, are the most common cause of hypoglycemia. Other medications that can cause hypoglycemia include
salicylates, including aspirin, when taken in large doses
sulfa medicines, which are used to treat infections
pentamidine, which treats a very serious kind of pneumonia
quinine, which is used to treat malaria
If using any of these medications causes your blood glucose to drop, your doctor may advise you to stop using the drug or change the dosage.
all info was found from the
The National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse (NDIC)
hope this helps
raerae
