What are the side effects of insulin in pregnancy?

Question

Hello, I am 28 weeks pregnant and have gestational diabetes. I take slow insulin at bedtime (38 units). I have big episodes of diarrhea every day as well as depressed days. I cry all the time, I question everything and I don't understand myself anymore. I tried to stop taking insulin for 2 days and everything got better: both the diarrhea episodes and the depressive episodes. I would like to know if these are side effects of taking insulin and if there is anything else I can take to avoid experiencing them because I can't stand them anymore. Thank you Hello, Thank you for your reply. I have no other symptoms other than fatigue and difficulty breathing, but I am sure this is just caused by the pregnancy. I don't take my blood sugar during these times specifically, because I would be shooting myself 10x a day. My morning fasting levels are between 5.3 and 5.9 without insulin and with insulin between 4.8 and 5.2. I am fine the rest of the day and take no other medications. Thank you very much. I'll keep an eye on it. Have a nice day.

Laurie Hudon Germain · Accepted Answer

Hello, First of all, thank you for your question. I am sorry to hear that your pregnancy is going poorly. The effects you describe are not common with insulin. However, insulin can cause hypoglycemia, which can cause a variety of symptoms, including mood changes. Did you test your blood sugar during these episodes? Are you experiencing other symptoms at this time such as weakness, dizziness or other symptoms? Insulin is the first choice of treatment for gestational diabetes. However, it is important to find the right dose to limit hypoglycemic episodes. On the other hand, it is also very important to treat gestational diabetes to avoid complications such as premature delivery, the birth of a larger baby, etc. In addition, do you take other medications on a regular basis or do you have any other known health problems? I hope I have answered your question, please do not hesitate if I can provide you with more information. Looking forward to hearing from you! Laurie Hudon-Germain, pharmacist Thank you for the additional information! I encourage you to try to take a blood glucose test during an episode if it occurs again, just to test the hypoglycemia hypothesis. Hypoglycemia is characterized by a blood glucose level below 4 mmol/L accompanied by symptoms (including mood changes as stated above). If this is the case, it is sometimes enough to take 15g of sugar (contained for example in 1 tablespoon of honey or maple syrup, in 3/4 of a cup of fruit juice or soft drink, or simply in 1 tablespoon of white sugar diluted in a little water) for the symptoms to subside Note that if your blood sugar level remains normal, i.e. above 4 mmol/L, during your episodes of depression or diarrhea, it would be preferable to make an appointment with the doctor or nurse who is following up on your pregnancy in order to inform them of the situation. Pregnancy-related depression is not trivial and can be treated. I encourage you to discuss it with your health care team. Finally, I invite you to continue to eat well and stay hydrated to avoid dehydration that could be secondary to diarrhea. I hope that I have answered your question and I remain available for any other questions! Laurie Hudon-Germain, pharmacist