Actually, I think “insulin suppresses hepatic gluconeogenesis,” and this occurs in the liver. Google those terms. In an insulin dependent diabetic exogenous insulin can suppress the normal response of the liver to glucagon, thereby blunting the natural counterregulatory response. When blood sugar gets really low you get the stress hormones kicking in and then you get the bad hypos with the shaking, sweating and possible “lost cookies.” I think there is real debate on whether glucagon production (which takes place in the alpha cells) and secretion is really dysfunctional in type 1s. I have seen a bunch of work indicating that alpha cells are mostly spared the attacks from autoimmune t1.
I have used it once at hospital even though I was awake and aware of everything happening around me the nurse was like you have to take it when all I wanted was something to eat or drink to bring it up.
I hate it with a passion.lol
But next time have some sort of drink or even jelly babies in your bag.
We have a 4 year old daughter with Type 1. We are frequent users of “mini-dose glucagon” and are very experienced with it. Our doctor, Mary Simon MD in Fresno, CA, advocates using an insulin syringe and giving 1 unit of glucagon per year of life. We generally use 4-5 units, unless she is very low and stuporous. It is especially useful during the night and when she has a vomiting illness. She has random and fairly frequent lows at night. We check her 3-4 times a night. Tonight, she was 314 with 2 units of active insulin (per her pump). I re-checked her 2 hrs later, and she had dropped to 149 - still with 1 unit active. She is sound asleep. I gave her 5 units of glucagon, and rechecked in 1 hr. She is now at 257 (so i overcorrected a bit) with 0.5 units of active insulin. I will re check her in an hour.
We used glucagon last night too for a BS of 62. I have never had it not work, nor has she ever experienced any negative effects from these small doses.
The other day she was 36 and stuporous, unable to hold herself up, I gave her 20 units. she came right up to the mid-100s, ate, and went about her business.
Managing a diabetic preschooler is challenging at best due to erratic growth patterns and picky eating, glucagon is a very useful tool - not a last resort. In fact, mini-dose glucagon is widely used in Europe.
Laura - type ?, on a pump.
Mom to Natasha, type 1 on a pump
Registered Nurse
Fantastic - I also used it once My son was in hospital - (with our incompetent doctors where I live that know nothing about diabetes) he was also in hospital with vomiting and diarrhea. His Bg was dropping fast and I could get it up - it was in the middle of the night and the doctor (after the nurses called him) he refused to change to a glucose drip so I started the mini glucagon in the hospital.
I’ve often thought of using it, because I have a very weak stomach and have had several times when I had lows and could not keep food down because of lots of vomiting. Usually, I just drink OJ, throw up, drink more OJ, throw up again, etc. And after hours and hours my body will usually absorb enough to raise my BG. However, I’ve often wanted to try glucagon. I even went to the ER once, but after sitting in the waiting room for 45 minutes with no sugar (I was 40 when I checked in and had been doing this for hrs), I left and went home and decided to vomit more OJ for another few hours as opposed to just sitting and waiting in the ER. :-/ I think I will try the smaller dose of glucagon (much smaller dose) the next time this happens.
Very interesting subject.
What is the best way to inject small dosis ? In the Glucagon box, it’s just a normal syringe… Just take the shot and only inject a certain amount ?
I read that glucagon doesn’t work when one has to much alcohol in ones blood. Priority 1 for the liver would be taking care of the alcohol. Producing glucagen would come on the second place. So, as long as there is to much alcohol, no releasing of sugar by the liver… Correct ?
Cheers, Nicolas
Nice ER !!
They probably think that a BS of 40 is not an Emergency !! Wish they could feel it once…
@Andreina
Im not sure the glucagon would have worked since there was alcohol in the system… From what I understand glucagon works by releasing stored glucose from the liver. While reading it said since the liver is preoccupied with breaking down the alcohol it may not be affective… just a heads up from what Ive read.
Ive given myself glucagon before.
I went from 170 to 30 in 10 min. ate an entire jar of glucose tabs, and a thing of orange juice, sugars kept dropping [I had another 3 units of active humalog on board and at a correction ratio of 1 u per 50 points that was bad…] , so I slammed glucagon in my leg, while on the phone with the paramedics.
Definitely makes you feel pretty lousy after wards. Nausea, lethargic, etc. just flat out lousy. But its a life saver. After a few hours in the ER my sugars were ‘normal’.
It may seem weird to give glucagon while awake, most people dont think of it. I guess you just need to judge each situation, do what you think is best, which may be difficult after the hypo panic sets in…
Id personally suggest everyone get/ carry glucagon as a “Just in Case”.
How long can you keep the glucagon in the refrig once you have diluted it?
A friend that has a son with type 1, shared a frustration with me. She wished that there was a shot that she could give her son during the night when he is sleeping. “A sugar shot” she called it. She would not need to wake him up to give him juice and plea with him to eat it half asleep. Would not have to inject Glucagon and deal with the side effects. Would not have to worry about him going low. When she tests him in the middle of the night he never wakes up. If she needs to give him insulin to correct a high he never wakes up. But she has to wake him up to correct the low with juice. Sometimes I think a “sugar shot” would be a lot easier to deal with this. Most of us always have our supplies with us, what one more thing? We could just have to take a “Sugar Shot” to correct. Not freak if you can not find carbs. Get frustrated that you have to eat something when you are not hunger. Or you finding that you are having a hard time of leveling it off your BS in 45 minutes as Jennifer mentioned.
I’ve never used glucagon. I haven’t even had a prescription since I was a kid… But if I had a kit in the house, I would instruct family to use it on me only if I weren’t conscious. I think some people overuse it and I would be unlikely to use it while conscious.
Well, not exactly the only thing. Paramedics will generally use a dextrose drip (they don’t carry glucagon). But I can see where one might consider that a hospital-like environment. You’re already receiving medical attention from a professional at that point.
Glucagon in the presence of alcohol is ineffective.
Glucagon is a hormone that causes the liver to release stored glucose.
I can’t remember exactly why, but if a patient is intoxicated, the liver doesn’t process the glucagon and release the glucose.
The first response to a low shoudl always be to disconnect the pump - this will stop the insulin going into hos body.
If you are ever in the same situation again, call 911- paramedics can administer intravenous dextrose, which will bring his bloodsugars up immediately.
i agree with bsc, a bg of 50 is way too high to be administering glucagon (under most circumstances). At summer camp, i’ve had campers with BG levels below 20 (showed up as “LO” on their meter) who were still fully conscious, talking, and playing
I used it once when I was sick. I kept throwing up anything I took by mouth, and couldn’t get my blood sugar up, so I went ahead and used it. In fact, that is the only time I have ever had to use it, and it did the trick. I was already nauseated, so didn’t notice if it had any affect on me.
Yes. I have a friend that’s a junior in highschool (one year older than me)
and she doesn’t like to eat anything to bring her bg up. So she does Mini Glucagon shots. We both go to the same endo in a town about an hour away. I havn’t had any desire to do this but she loves it. So you can use them when your awake. The glucagon shot usually lasts three weeks or so after opening it i believe. But im not sure.
Sometimes if I’m having issues with low bloodsugars that don’t seem to want to come up, I will give 15units (in an insulin syringe) of glucagon. Usually that will bring me up to 6 or so (I think that’s about 108?). If it doesn’t work, I’ll give a second dose. With it being a smaller dose than the usual, the nausea doesn’t tend to happen.
My daughter has had to use the glucagon A LOT!!! She is a T1 and epileptic, so her doctor recommends her sugars ALWAYS stay above 100. Sometimes for her is she drops below that she of course feels low and somedays it will trigger her into an epileptic seizure.
We like the glucagon… she has never gotten real sick after wards and her sugars don’t spike to bad. We only have to use it is she is non responsive… she will be awake and moveable, but she will not respond to us. So for us its a MUST have…
Good luck.
Sorry I don’t mean to be ignorant was is a 50? We do it a little different in Canada.