How much sugar is in Lemsip?

[Fe 82]

Hi everyone,
With the first cold since I have been diabetic (15 months) I have purchased my first lot of Lemsip, and its sending me through the roof in sugar levels. I have heard your levels can increase if you are fighting something anyway, so I'm now totally confused. Should i not have lemsip now Im Type 1? If not, what does everyone else do?
If it is ok to take, should I be taking insulin to combat it?
Thanks,
Fe x

 

[AlisonM]

Fe, there should be a list on the side of the box that will tell you, but off hand I'd say loads. I suggest you talk to your pharmacist or doctor and ask what they recommend.

 

[Pigeon]

I've a feeling a looked on a box once and it was only about 5g sugar... but I may be wrong.

If your sugar levels are high it's probably just because of your cold rather than the lemsip. You could try just taking paracetamol and Vitamin C tablets, and drinking warmed diet lemonade, it probably has the same effects and is cheaper!

 

[SamInnocent]

I always use Lemsip Max Cold & Flu Direct (the ones that dissolve on your tongue - no water required!). They are sweetened with aspartame and (looking at the ingredients list) contain: 1000mg Paracetomol, Phenylephrine hydochloride 12.2mg, aspartame.

I find they don't affect my blood sugars at all, but colds and other viruses always mean raised blood sugars so I'd say it's more likely just to be a side effect of the cold you've got rather than the Lemsips.

Oh yeah, and I've got a bloomin' cold at the moment so I know what I'm talking about unfortunately!!

 

[Copepod]

If the box doesn't tell you the quantity of sugar (per sachet, not per 100g), then as a very rough estimate, you could assume that it's about the same as if the whole amount were sugar eg if it looks like a teaspoon of sugar, assume that's what it is. Sure, there are medications in the mixture, but 500mg of paracetamol doesn't weigh much nor take up much volume.

 

[Steff]

im currently staring at a box of lemsip max cold and flu it has nowhere stating what it has in it but it says it contains aspartame and sucrose and all it says where it says dont take is if you high BP,serious heart condition, taken anti depressents within last 14 days,or a non cirrhotic liver disease,

 

[sofaraway]

I don't think you will be able to tell if it's the lemsip or the cold that is increasing your blood sugars. Maybe try just paracetamol and see if that helps. I personally ignore those warnings, if a medication has sugar in it then I am going to be testing more regularly and correcting as needed. Hope you feel better soon

 

[shiv]

don't think this will help but i'm just shaking off the last of the cold i had last week and my sugars are STILL high, i am still on double doses of insulin (i was terrified to do that at first, so scared of lows, but it meant that i wasn't up in the teens all the time last week!)

 

[aymes]

I tend to use lemsip type treatments when I have a cold, from last week when I was ill I seem to remember it being about 5g per sachet but you'd need to check on the box. I've never had a great issue with them rising my blood sugars, but then illness rarely affects me much levels wise either so I suppose I can tell. It is probably fairly likely that it is the illness, at least in part raising your levels and not just the lemsip.

 

[Fe 82]

Thank you everyone for your thoughts - paracetemol seems the way forward. Good to know other people get teen readings when they are ill - so frustrating as I really want a good hba1c reading! x