Glucose tablets

Not that the glucose gel is much better but the taste of those things is just plain awful. I didn’t think anything could make sweet tarts seem awful in comparison but almost all the tablets I have ever tried do. Anybody have any luck that isn’t so awful in taste?

@Dennis4, While I don’t mind the texture or taste of glucose tablets much, a substitute that have just under 4g per piece are Jolly Rancher Chews. They are inexpensive.

Now that I’m on a pump and very stable, I hardly use anything because I don’t low much anymore.

When I do strenuous exercise I get carb gels. Not the sickening pharmacy glucose gel that tastes like cough syrup and plastic.

I mean the carb gels for exercise like Gu or Cliff. The come in lots of flavors like coffee or berry and chocolate etc.

Carb gels are designed to not hit fast so seem like they are not good for low sugar episodes but I find them to hit my blood in a min or 2. They also have some staying power.

They keep me from over doing it. I just have one and see how it goes.
When running, I’ll eat one carb gel every 2 miles, and I don’t dose insulin for them.

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These are my usual when I need fast sugar:

TRUEplus® Glucose Tablets, Raspberry Flavor - 50ct Bottle - 3 Pack

These are a bit pricey - Clif is less expensive than GU - but very portable, and in a wide variety of flavors. My favorites are vanilla and Razz, but they are all tasty:

Amazon.com: CLIF SHOT - Energy Gels - 8 Flavor Variety Pack - Non-GMO - Non-Caffienated - Fast Carbs for Energy - High Performance & Endurance - Fast Fuel for Cycling and Running (1.2 Ounce Packet, 24 Count) : Health & Household

Amazon.com: Clif Shot Gel - Vanilla - 6 Pack (6 x 1.2oz Packs) : Health & Household

Amazon.com: Clif Shot Gel - Razz - 6 Pack (6 x 1.2oz Packs) : Health & Household

Amazon.com: GU Energy Original Sports Nutrition Energy Gel, 8-Count, Salted Caramel : Health & Household

I can’t stand the gels! The texture, the taste is not for me. Back when I had really bad lows I hated glucose tablets because trying to eat a handful at a time was not pleasant. Now, with a pump & CGM I don’t get bad lows and 1, maybe 2, tablets is all I need. I prefer fruit punch or grape flavored. Orange is the absolute worst and I think I’d rather pass out than eat that flavor!

For lows that might actually require the 15g rule, I like Capri Sun pouches. Just the regular kind, not the 100% juice or Roarin’ Waters.

I use this and like it a lot.

https://www.amazon.com/Glucose-SOS-Dissolve-absorbing-diabetics/dp/B072BCW98V/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?keywords=glucose%2Bpowder&qid=1642046164&sr=8-1-spons&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUFXTE1QOUtENko2OEImZW5jcnlwdGVkSWQ9QTAzNjQzODEyRzFRRlFEUk85Tzc1JmVuY3J5cHRlZEFkSWQ9QTA4NDk1NjMySkZBQ1U2SzlJSFdNJndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfYXRmJmFjdGlvbj1jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ&th=1

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I think it’s good that the glucose tablets are not yummy. If they were better tasting I’d be tempted to snack on them other than when my bg is low.

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I have seemed to touch a nerve with lots of opinions. Thanks for the shares.

Juice boxes or sweet ‘n’ salty granola bars. Often when exerting myself for prolonged periods.
And don’t exert myself within 90 minutes of eating/bolusing unless I’ve accidentally miscounted carbs and on the rocket ship. (In which case I’m doing it intentionally to avert the ride to the stratosphere).
If I exercise with insulin on board I WILL need additional snacks!

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I am on a fixed income (retired) and spend a lot of money on medications and doctors for both my wife and me. I came up with my own glucose based potion for when I start trending low on long bike rides. I use a 5 oz plastic flask with a bite valve from Hammer nutrition.

The recipe is 1.5 oz of glucose from Karo corn syrup (without HFCS), the contents of 2 Hammer Electrolyte capsules, Strong black coffee and a 1/4 teaspoon of instant espresso.

The flask has 1 oz marks and 1 oz is 8 grams of carbs from glucose. The reason for the coffee and espresso is to cut the taste of the glucose, not for a caffeine jolt. I seldom imbibe more than 1 oz on a ride, and since I got a T:Slim with the exercise mode, I may not need any at all. I will still carry it on the bike because an unexpected low can ruin your day.

Here’s a picture of the ugly mount and flask. The Velcro and magnets keep it secure, but handy in the top tube.

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Ha… that is the way I feel about the fruit punch flavor!

I usually stick to glucose tabs specifically because they taste like chalk. It encourages me not to overdo it!

One time, back when big friend/family gatherings were a thing, we hosted and we had gotten some ice cream and chocolate syrup for the kids. There was some of the chocolate syrup left in the refrigerator. I woke up with a low so I squirted some of it into my mouth. It tasted better than the tabs, but I paid for it later with a rebound!

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That’S my opinion as well. I think of what I use to treat a hypo as medicine and not a treat.

Oh, and that grazing the fridge and pantry with a low, well I call that hunger the ravenous wolf hunger. Eat everything you see until you feel better and pay the consequences.

I do find the orange better than the other flavors, not rosace à l’orange, but does the job.

Many years ago, Walmart made an English Toffee flavor of their Equate Glucose tablets. They were the bomb! I was just getting my first pump, a Medtronix, and the CDE who was training me on glucose counting, using a pump, etc. who also had type 1, was also a big fan as were many type 1’s that she knew of. As often happens WM stopped making them after a very short time. They were only available for about a year. I contacted WM customer service and no one could say why they were discontinued. I assume they were not as cheap to produce as the orange variety. GTabs will always have a chalky texture but a little water helps.

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CVS has had some interesting glucose tablet flavors over the years, only available in tubes of 10 and they came & went quickly. I remember they had chocolate and butterscotch!

Back when I had bad nighttime lows, chocolate milk was my go to fix. It worked super fast and tasted great. Plain milk raises my BG really fast as well, but it doesn’t taste very good on its own.

If I’m home, my preferred treatment is a 4 0z. juice box, berry flavor. But lately I haven’t been able to get the 4 oz boxes, only the 6 or 8 oz, which may or may not be too much, depending on how low I am.

Away from home, I carry the CVS raspberry flavored glucose tabs. I had tried glucose tabs about 30 years ago and they were absolutely disgusting, so I was using life savers in a flavor I wasn’t crazy about (can’t carry anything I actually like, because I also have compulsive eating disorder). About 4 or so years ago I decided to try the glucose tabs again, and found the CVS raspberry to be tolerable. They actually tasted fine, and aren’t nearly as chalky as they used to be, but they don’t taste good enough to make me crave them. You can chew them or disolve them in your mouth.

Good thing there are so many ways to treat lows, isn’t it? We’re all so different, even though we have the same disease.

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Last year at my endo appointment my BG was low because I did a lot of walking right before. As usual they tested my BG with their meter but I already knew I was low from my CGM, but wasn’t worried about it. The nurse came back in with a little cup that had 2 glucose tablets in it. I told her I’d eat them if I felt like I needed to but wanted to hold off. My CGM kept dropping so I decided to have the tablets. Put one in my mouth - it was orange and I almost gagged. I spit it in the sink and got my own out of my bag. When the endo came in and saw the other tablet was still in the cup he asked me about it and I told him that orange was disgusting. He said that whoever was in charge of ordering at the hospital only ever ordered orange, but he said he’d see if he could suggest another flavor for future orders.

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I think anything tastes like a treat after the foul cola flavored ones that used to come in the foil-backed bubble packs. I was hard pressed to keep those things down, so they didn’t do a lot of good.

Walmart offers several fruit flavored tabs that I enjoy taking. My current flavor is fruit punch. When I play golf, I always take a bottle of fruit punch Gatorade.

When I’m home, I use sugar cubes. The cubes are made from pure cane sugar, so the sugar is all glucose. The grocery store doesn’t carry them anymore, so I order Amazon.