Can we? What about the insuline or other medications we take? And how safe is it for us?
There’s a very short list of restricted medications… and insulin is not one of them. If you’ve ever used animal insulin though, you can’t donate.
I donate all the time… I’ve only been turned away once when my HR was too high 
Check the red cross website or the blood banks in your area - you should be able to figure out which meds are okay.
I have been donated a couple years now I’m a type II the only restriction I’ve seen is if you’ve used cow insulin then I don’t think you’re allowed to donate due to the fears of madcow diesase
Yes you can, as long as you are in control of your blood sugar. Check the red cross on line, they have the specifics. So far. I’ve been able to with no problem. That’s very nice of you to try to help others.
Thanks, that’s good news.
In many countries - except USA - you are not eligible to donate blood if
a) you take insulin
b) your are on oral medications for type 2
The rationale is - I quote from the Canadian Diabetes Association - that donating blood could interrupt your blood glucose control, and potentially lead to a hypoglycemic reaction in the clinic or on the way home.
I agree with all said here- but some blood centers are more picky than others. You just have to check with them before hand. That said, there is a risk that if you donate a decent quantity of blood and then get blood work (like A1C) done, it will skew the results. I would as a general rule, donate only after I had had blood work done, so it would not affect the reading 3 months down the line. But that is me.
Our blood donation center said I can’t if I’m on insulin… :-/
You can’t donate blood in the UK if you have diabetes. At least not type 1 anyway. Don’t know about type 2 but I just told them I was diabetic and they said no.
If you have not used bovine insilin in the last ten years, there are no restrictions, only prejudice. Time to through the ADA federal law at them. It is personal, not policy in the US.
I have been a regular blood donor for years, since before my diagnosis with Type 2. I'm O+ and CMV-, so they really like me at the donor center. As others have mentioned, the only restriction is if a person has taken insulin derived from cows. Since I'm using metformin, that's not an issue for me.
My issue is a bit different. After my double red cell donation last week, my glucose readings went crazy. I had been in the 90 to 110 range for weeks, but for several days after the donation I only saw one reading below 120 and had one as high as 147. My diet and exercise routine did not change. (I was back to a 107 this morning.)
Now, this could be allergy related, since the mountain cedar pollens have been high of later, but the occurrence after blood donation is curious. Has anyone else experienced something like this?