I am so bored with Glucotabs

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Swims

Swims

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Type 1.5 LADA
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I'm having a concerted effort on my numbers at the moment, with the inevitable lows that happen as I tighten my target range and adjust the pump (type 1, Omnipod).

I always have a tube of Glucotabs nearby, refilled from the larger tubs that I buy online, but it would be nice to have something different on the bedside table after 20 years of doing this.

What else do you use that absorbs quickly and in a defined 'dose' ?

Swimmer
 
The little bags of Haribo take slightly longer than glucose/dextrose tabs to work but still pretty quick and they’re about 15g carbs. Or just know how many jelly babies a dose is for you.
 
Although they are quick, I’ve never been able to take to the hard chalkiness on gluco / dextro / plaster of paris tabs.

My current arsenal includes mini bags of haribo, squashies, and larger bags of Skittles, Jelly Babies, and Tangfastics. Holding them in my mouth longer as they dissolve speeds up their action.

For faster treatment full sugar Coke is still 10g of sugar per 100ml (sugar tax has rendered most full sugar drinks far less useful for hypos as so much is now required :(
 
everydayupsanddowns said:
Although they are quick, I’ve never been able to take to the hard chalkiness on gluco / dextro / plaster of paris tabs.

My current arsenal includes mini bags of haribo, squashies, and larger bags of Skittles, Jelly Babies, and Tangfastics. Holding them in my mouth longer as they dissolve speeds up their action.

For faster treatment full sugar Coke is still 10g of sugar per 100ml (sugar tax has rendered most full sugar drinks far less useful for hypos as so much is now required :(
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Maybe I should look at Jelly Babies again. I always worry that if they're too tasty I'll be unable to stop myself eating too many. Same goes for Kendall Mint cake.

I don't drink fizzy drinks - too much bad stuff in them.
 
Swims said:
I'm having a concerted effort on my numbers at the moment, with the inevitable lows that happen as I tighten my target range and adjust the pump (type 1, Omnipod).

I always have a tube of Glucotabs nearby, refilled from the larger tubs that I buy online, but it would be nice to have something different on the bedside table after 20 years of doing this.

What else do you use that absorbs quickly and in a defined 'dose' ?

Swimmer
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A Freddo is one carb portion for Type 2s.

One Type 1 I know keeps a banana for an emergency.
 
Burylancs said:
A Freddo is one carb portion for Type 2s.

One Type 1 I know keeps a banana for an emergency.
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Looks like an 18g Freddo bar is 10g Carbs (my normal correction is 3xGlucotabs so 3x3.7=11.1g) - so it's about right, but I think it fails the temptation test.

If I start eating chocolate bars in bed in the middle of the night I'll end up in the spare room.
 
I have very little experience of hypos but my preference is Giant Skittles. Unlike jelly babies, they don't melt in a hot car. I divide them up into 15g portions in zip lock bags. That's enough to prevent dipping into them as I know that I would then be short if/when needed.

Chocolate isn't a good choice anyway as the fat delays absorption of the carbs.
 
The kids lunch box juice boxes are about the right amount of carbs too and don’t need to be in the fridge.
 
I am a JB girl. They are my Hypo Heros. I also portion them into 2 JB hypo treatment teams. I am never tempted to eat more or eat them when not hypo. Important to chew them well to get quicker release of glucose. I have tried other sweets but I just can't control myself and they tempt me when I am not hypo, but having used JBs from the start I think I have developed the mentality that they are medicine and only the right amount when I need them are to be taken....albeit nice medicine.... well.... except the green ones! 🙄
 
Jelly snakes or wine gums. Don’t like the messy white coating on JBs
 
  • I find half or a whole tube of fizzy Love Hearts (now called Kind Hearts) (Giant or Mini) is a good hypo treatment mechanism (I do things in Large Quantities!). In the sweets aisle in all good supermarkets. Unfortunately prone to leave residue stuck in the teeth, which persists (much like the considerably more expensive Glucotabs).
  • The bags of Haribo Tangfastics jelly sweets (as mentioned by everydayupsanddowns) are, I find, pretty rapid, but it is difficult to stop eating them!
  • Otherwise there are the very expensive small containers of flavoured liquid glucose (one brand is Lift)
  • or the even more expensive plastic tubes of flavoured glucose gel (one brand is Torq). Both of these are probably the fastest-acting.
  • A Do-it-Yourself method is to drink/eat part of a tin of tinned fruit (I use the "in juice" version), which I keep in the fridge for added deliciousness. Personally I prefer the small Tesco tins of mandarin oranges (your preference may differ!).
However, if you are getting too many hypos, perhaps you might be trying to reduce your blood glucose figures too much?
 
Jelly belly jelly beans are about 1 carb each so easy to portion, only problem is the black ones that taste like liquorice or death
 
John Gray said:
  • I find half or a whole tube of fizzy Love Hearts (now called Kind Hearts) (Giant or Mini) is a good hypo treatment mechanism (I do things in Large Quantities!). In the sweets aisle in all good supermarkets.
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Whats with changing name of sweets & choc bars, just don't get it.
 
nonethewiser said:
Whats with changing name of sweets & choc bars, just don't get it.
Click to expand...
The manufacturers teamed up with a mental health charity and came up with some new messages to put on each sweet.

The eight new messages on the sweets are - BE YOU, YOU’RE LOVED, DREAM BIG, POSITIVE VIBES, RESPECT, STAY STRONG, LOVE YOURSELF and BE KIND.

www.chroniclelive.co.uk

Love Hearts rebranded as Kind Hearts - and they include eight new messages

The rebrand is taking place through a partnership between Swizzels and charity YoungMinds, and aims to raise awareness of the importance of mental wellbeing
www.chroniclelive.co.uk www.chroniclelive.co.uk
 
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