I have type 2 diabetes. What causes hypoglycemia, how to prevent it and how to manage it?

Question

Hello, I have type 2 diabetes and have relatively low fasting blood sugars lately (about 4.0-4.1) when usually they are between 5-8 and I'm worried about them dropping below 4.0 so I want to know how to handle it if that happens. I take Lantus and Novorapid and use Contour Next to measure my blood sugars. I don't have any other health problems and don't have any allergies.

Thi Lan Thi Duong · Accepted Answer

Hello, Hypoglycemia can occur when you eat less than usual, eat later than usual, skip a meal, exercise more often or take too much insulin. To prevent hypoglycemia, if you haven't already done so, I recommend recording all of your blood sugars in this blood sugar logbook to watch the low sugar trend. Next, it's important that you take your insulins, snacks and meals at the same time each day to avoid unbalancing. You can also test your blood sugars more often when you are sick or doing physical activities.  If you have hypoglycemia (blood sugar between 2.8-3.9 mmol/L), it is recommended to take 15g of carbohydrates, while if the blood sugar is below 2.8 mmol/L, it is recommended to take 20g of carbohydrates. You can find here the types and proportion of foods/beverages you should take. If the blood sugar is corrected after 15 minutes of rest, you can have your usual meal or snack if it is less than an hour away. Otherwise, you should have a snack containing 15g of carbohydrate and a protein source.  If you experience frequent episodes of low blood sugar, it is important that you talk to your pharmacist or doctor so that they can adjust the medication. Tell us about it, Lan Thi Duong, pharmacy student (supervised by Alexandre Chagnon, pharmacist)