Nasal decongestant

Treatment
1

I’m type 1 and have a miserable cold which has kept me from sleeping. I’ve read conflicting answers on whether a decongestant, like Sudafed, is OK to take in that it can raise glucose level
. I’d call my doctor but of course these things happen on weekends. Any advice? Could sure use some sleep.

2

Others on here will have much more useful direct experience to offer you, but from what I found online, you are correct (and news to me!).

DON'T FORGET: Never change your diabetes medications when you’re sick without checking with your care provider.

Of course, there’s just gobs more info out there, so I’ll stop posting links. However, I was curious to understand the mechanism by which Sudafed can raise BG. My personal guess is (with some online help - :grin::grin:) that the purpose of adrenalin is to give you a boost, so it makes sense that insulin secretion would be less. However, in my case, few things knock me out faster than Sudafed.

I did find sites that say to consider a nasal spray, but as the web site above says, check with your provider. Does he/she not have a nurse line?

What I do for congestion, is either inhale some steam or use Ayr, saline drops. Or both.

3

Consult the pharmacist, he may be of help. Also try some nasal saline spray, might help clear you up. Feel better soon. Nancy50

4

If you are on insulin then you shouldn’t have to worry about Sudafed raising your BG beyond what you can control. I take Sudafed whenever I have a cold as well as any other cold medicines I want.

1 Like
5

Thanks for getting back. I had read that it can raise your glucose so also wondering if I need to shoot a bit more to cover for that. Since it’s for bedtime, didn’t want to chance it while I’m sleeping.
I know pumps have a separate “illness” pump settings but to date, never had to use it.

6

I’ve found that using a Neti pot (or the version put out by Neil Med) to clear out congestion a couple of times a day not only helps make me more comfortable, but also seems to shorten the duration of a cold. Since both methods use a simple saline solution, there’s no affect on bg numbers.