Glucose tablets?

[CathyFP]

Can Type 1s get glucose tablets on prescription? As I’m new to taking Insulin and getting quite a lot of lows I’m spending quite a bit on them! If not has anyone researched the cheapest supply. I’m using Amazon although I’d rather not.

 

[Inka]

No, but you can sometimes get HypoStop gel - which is absolutely foul! I use Dextro tablets and buy a box on Amazon. That works out quite cheaply. If you’re using lots of them, you’re having too much insulin and/or not enough carbs.

 

[MikeyBikey]

I actually treat hypos with JBs as after decades of Type I I chuck up with neat glucose. It may be worth setting your Low Alarm slight higher temporarily if you have CGM.

 

[Lucyr]

Can Type 1s get glucose tablets on prescription? As I’m new to taking Insulin and getting quite a lot of lows I’m spending quite a bit on them! If not has anyone researched the cheapest supply. I’m using Amazon although I’d rather not.

If you’re having enough lows that the cost is an issue then the solution is not to try and get hypo supplies on prescription, the solution is to sort your insulin out to cut the lows. In the meantime you could buy a bag of jelly babies or skittles etc?

It must need reducing, have you reduced it yourself or called someone to help you reduce it if you’re not confident yourself yet?

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Sorry to hear you’ve been having lots of hypos @CathyFP

Insulin doses in the early days can be a bit of a ‘best guess’ from your healthcare professionals - have you got a way to get in contact with them to ask about how to adjust and reduce your doses going forwards?

It’s a useful skill to develop, so that you can (cautiously!) make adjustments without having to wait for an appointment.

Your insulin needs are likely to change over time, and can ebb and flow during the course of the year as factors such as stress, activity levels and even ambient temperature change.

 

[SB2015]

Hi @CathyFP

Sorry to hear that you are having so many hypos.

The early stages of T1 (LADA/T1.5) can be very frustrating as your body is likely to be producing some insulin of its own. Your Beta cells that remained were under a lot of stress , but now you are helping with the insulin they have had a bit of a rest and sometimes join in, and sometimes not. When we start on insulin the doses will need changing gradually to account for the changes in your own production, which will gradually decrease. As others have said you will learn how to adjust your insulin doses yourself in order to account for this, and the other factors that impact us.

Would you like to tell us what insulins you are using. This can help us in our responses to any questions you have. This is a great place to get help and support, with a wealth of experience to tap into. No questions are considered silly. Just ask.

 

[Merluza]

Jelly babies are a much better option, they are easier to carry, don’t crumble and are much nicer to eat, they’re easier on your teeth as well. Each contains 5.5g of carbohydrate and are quickly absorbed, you can suck them and they will disintegrate in your mouth. The main ingredients are sugar and glucose, although they do contain gelatine which may be a problem for some people. Be sure to get real jbs, either Bassetts or M&S and not the chewy gummy sweets.

 

[Peely66]

JB for me since reading about others using them on this forum. (why I couldn't have worked that out myself I don't know!) Never got on with glucose tablets. They are hard work to chew through and once you've opened the packet they deteriorate quite quickly. I carried around 500ml bottles of Lucozade for quite some time then moved onto JB. Getting a bit sick of them too now tbh!

 

[Bruce Stephens]

They are hard work to chew through and once you've opened the packet they deteriorate quite quickly.

Yes, when I did use them I quickly moved to the tubes. But they're a bit expensive and once you've used a few the rest start moving and crumbling, so I started buying the big tubs of tablets and refilling the tube with those. It worked, but now I just buy whatever sweets are discounted. (I used glucose tablets to avoid being tempted too much, but decided a while ago that that's not enough of a problem to worry about.)

 

[rebrascora]

Glucose 40% oral gel is on repeat prescription for me but I have never ordered any, so I have no idea what it is like. I mostly use Jelly Babies (JSs) and personally I prefer Tesco or Asda own brand to Maynards/Bassetts but I rarely shop at those supermarkets and the village store only stocks branded ones, so that is usually what I have. I do also have some tubes of Lift glucose tablets which I was refilling from a large tubs but generally I just prefer JBs and they are cheaper and more widely available.
I have tried other sweets but I can't be disciplined enough with them and I am tempted to eat them when not hypo, whereas I kind of view JBs as medication, albeit nice medication, so I only use them when I am hypo or levels are low and dropping fast but not quite hypo and 2 JBs can turn me around from a 4.3 with a vertical downward arrow without actually hitting the red most times, so they work very well for me.

One of the things to know is that chewing your hypo treatment really well and swooshing it around in your mouth will actually be more effective than a couple of chews and swallowing it down because the inside of the mouth can absorb glucose quicker and of course is closer to your brain than your stomach, so releasing as much of the glucose in your mouth is the most efficient way to treat your hypo. It also means that if you feel really sick and are struggling to keep anything down, just holding that sweetness in your mouth can still help to treat a hypo.

 

[MikeyBikey]

Jelly babies are a much better option, they are easier to carry, don’t crumble and are much nicer to eat, they’re easier on your teeth as well. Each contains 5.5g of carbohydrate and are quickly absorbed, you can suck them and they will disintegrate in your mouth. The main ingredients are sugar and glucose, although they do contain gelatine which may be a problem for some people. Be sure to get real jbs, either Bassetts or M&S and not the chewy gummy sweets.

You need to make sure the JBs are kept fairly fresh. I have a small plastic container of them in my back pack but one one occasion when out I found they had dried out. They then were very slow, and it became quite worrying, to be absorbed - nearly like boiled sweets. Allsorts are an alternative.

 

[Merluza]

I prefer M&S JBs but will settle for the originals if needs be. I used to carry fruit bars and chocolate but neither are particularly fast and as chocolate contains fat it slows down the absorption. It also melts. Jelly babies do get a bit boring but at least they are nice in the first place, and don't crumble or melt.

 

[Merluza]

You need to make sure the JBs are kept fairly fresh. I have a small plastic container of them in my back pack but one one occasion when out I found they had dried out. They then were very slow, and it became quite worrying, to be absorbed - nearly like boiled sweets. Allsorts are an alternative.

That's right. I have a little box that holds 6 that I carry around in my pocket and they do need refreshing from time to time.

 

[CathyFP]

Hi @CathyFP

Sorry to hear that you are having so many hypos.

The early stages of T1 (LADA/T1.5) can be very frustrating as your body is likely to be producing some insulin of its own. Your Beta cells that remained were under a lot of stress , but now you are helping with the insulin they have had a bit of a rest and sometimes join in, and sometimes not. When we start on insulin the doses will need changing gradually to account for the changes in your own production, which will gradually decrease. As others have said you will learn how to adjust your insulin doses yourself in order to account for this, and the other factors that impact us.

Would you like to tell us what insulins you are using. This can help us in our responses to any questions you have. This is a great place to get help and support, with a wealth of experience to tap into. No questions are considered silly. Just ask.

I am on Tresiba and Novorapid. I’m experimenting with waiting longer to eat after taking my Novorapid. I also think the 1 unit to 20g carb ratio I have been told to use by my consultant is probably wrong so trying 1:15 seems a bit better. Certain carbs seem really bad even with lots of insulin. Is this normal? E.g. Wholemeal couscous?

 

[Inka]

No carbs are ‘bad’ @CathyFP (apart from highly processed junk foods, of course) but you’ll find different carbs can sometimes need different pre-bolus times. There are no rules about this as it depends on the individual. Some carbs have lower GIs than others, so will be absorbed more slowly. On occasion, you might even find you need to adjust your bolus amount for certain carbs/meals too, eg I had a meal with bulgar wheat last night and, on paper, it needed 3 units. Actually, I took only 2 units for it and my blood sugar was fine.

It’s all a case of learning and adjusting. That’s what Type 1 is basically!

 

[CathyFP]

Thanks. Can anyone explain how the Insulin units: grams of carbs ratio is calculated. Seems very important to get it right to take right amount of insulin.

 

[Bruce Stephens]

Can anyone explain how the Insulin units: grams of carbs ratio is calculated.

It isn't. You try a value and see how it works, changing it as necessary.

 

[Inka]

They start off with an educated guess usually @CathyFP Once people have the hang of things, they can then see if the meal ratios need tweaking. It’s important to make sure the basal dose is right first though. Basal is like the foundations of a house. Get that wrong and your house (bolus) will be hard to get right.

 

[Inka]

I remember you were initially misdiagnosed as Type 2 @CathyFP Apologies if these have already been mentioned to you now you have the correct diagnosis but there are a couple of books often recommended for Type 1s on this forum:

Think Like a Pancreas’ by Gary Scheiner.

And Type 1 Diabetes in Children Adolescents and Young People by Ragnar Hanas (ignore the title - it’s great for adults too).

Think Like A Pancreas is American but I liked the chatty style and it contains some great information, as does the Ragnar Hanas book.

 

[Proud to be erratic]

It's all part of the trial and learning process, alas! My Consultant recently turned to my wife and quite specifically told her that every day of every year a T1 is making 350 extra decisions daily, in managing their BG. Remembering which pasta works OK for you and which doesn't, is part of that decision making. Likewise whether 1:10 or 1:15 is appropriate at different times of the day (my insulin resistance is greater in the morning than evening) and thus a decision is needed; or how much extra activity I did yesterday and thus how much reduction in bolus I should make for today is needed; and this list of decisions feels endless.

Many of these decisions are semi-automatic or instinctive, but by no means all of them. But I am in no doubt that 4+ yrs on I sometimes still need to mentally isolate myself from the family background "wash"of noise and activity and concentrate on what I am doing. I know I'm not Superman and I don't try to put both legs into each trouser leg simultaneously; so it is with managing my D! One thing at a time, with due concentration when needed.