A1C Too LOW?

So my question is I’ve heard a bunch of different answers (From Doctors), 6.0 (A1C) is great but a 5.0(A1C) is better. They also said lower is better, but in order to go lower we/us would have to run low blood sugars all the time. Which int good, so at what point is to low of a A1C?

Well, if you can maintain a 4.8 without serious hypos, it would seem to me that that would be pretty wonderful. The issue is that most people who have an A1c in that range are probably dropping low quite frequently.

(The answer, in other words, is whatever you can maintain without severe and/or frequent hypos.)

4.8, by the way, is what, as I recall, is considered a “normal normal.” The normal range goes up to 5.5.

Hi comara87,

What my doctors and CDE have said is that the lower the better as long as you haven’t too much hypos. For example, when I was in my honeymoon period (just diagnosed) my a1c was about 5.8 with no hypos… so I could probably aim at around 5.5 with not much of an issue. Something like that would be a lot harder to do these days, so I’m very happy with a 6.0…

Hope this helps,

Henry.-

Thanks guys, i guess i over looked the fact that everyone is build different. So i guess im just gonna look like we are always told to do “Test the waters”, but stay within reason.

I am living with type 1 for over 26 years and whole heartedly agree with YOU …LOWS are not good …ask any person with diabetes , how hard it is on their system …we cannot function …head aches, pukey , dragged down , very tired , obstinate ,depressed , wanting to create a war with our spouses and other loved ones etc. etc.( things I have not even thought off ) …are the " specialists " willing to live like this ?? Most likely age has some baring too …the older the higher A1C may be acceptable …makes sense ?? Quality of life has a bearing on this .

Cheers, Comara87.
I’ve been at this for a while (64 years to be exact), and have been all over the landscape. Over the last six-seven years I have gotten far better control,. and encouraged by my diabetes team I have been pushing my A1C lower and lower. I reached 4.6 in January. I have concluded that is way too low for me. Hypo unawareness, many near-hypos, and some fairly serious hypos with lots of injuries when I lose control and fall and hurt myself. We have far better tools nowadays to manage our condition, and I am now striving to become stable at an A1C around 5.5 to 6. Of course, because I am an old geezer, I am not as worried as a younger person would be about potential side effects. Plan on spending several months fine-tuning, and find yourself a level just a tad above where those hypos get in the way. Good luck, and let us know how you progress!
(BTW I needed the medics to come and get me out of a serious hypo just three days ago. Their instructions, of course, is to get your blood sugar up. I was prompted to drink orange juice and coke, both spiked with sugar, and eat a large sandwich before they were satisfied. Three hours later my blood sugar was 490.)

I have the same problem. A hypo happens, and I don’t bother to test, just hit the glucose tabs, coke, whatever, and if my husband is around, he makes me drink the WHOLE coke. He doesn’t understand that its not the amount of coke I drink, it’s the time involved that helps me rebound.( half a coke and 15 minutes usually do the trick) Sometimes my BGs are in the high 300s. It takes days to get back on the right schedule after that!!