What are the symptoms?
The symptoms vary considerably from person to person, but they often start with a feeling of being hot and uncomfortable, which is followed by profuse sweating. Other symptoms that you experience may include dizziness, weakness, trembling, unsteadiness, hunger, blurred vision, slurred speech, tingling in the lips or hands, or headache. Also, you may become aggressive or uncooperative without being aware of it, a condition that is sometimes mistaken for drunkeness. If symptoms occur at night, they usually awaken you. In extreme cases you may become unconscious.
What are the risks?
Episodes of hypoglycemia are almost always treated and halted before they can become serious. The chief danger for most people is that you might have an attack when you are swimming, operating machinery, or driving a car. If you have frequent attacks, you should not participate in these activities. However, nighttime attacks, especially in older people, may go undetected for prolonged periods, resulting in severe, sometimes permanent brain damage.
What should be done?
In the process of establishing insulin program for you, if you have an attack of hypoglycemia your physician will use it to teach you to recognize oncoming bouts.
If you have an unexpected attack, think about what caused it, and try to prevent another one. If you have attacks with any frequency or reoccurence, see your physician. He or she may reduce your dose of insulin or oral hypoglycemic medications.
What is the treatment?
Self-help: If you are prone to hypoglycemia attack, you should always carry glucose tablets, sugar cubes, or candy. At the first sign of an attack, chew or suck some until you feel normal again, which should be within a few minutes. Make sure your family and friends know about the symptoms, so that if you become disoriented or uncooperative, they can give you something sweet. However, they should never try to feed you if you become unconscious (diabetic coma), because this could choke you. If drugs you are taking for another disorder could cause your hypoglycemia, discuss this with your physician, who may either discontinue them or suggest an alternative.
An alternative to glucose tablets that is being used more and more is an injection of glucagon, a hormone that helps raise your blood glucose levels. This is especially helpful if an attack makes you unconscious. Many people who have hypoglycemia attacks teach their family and friends how to inject the hormone into an arm or leg muscle.
Instruct your friends and family that if the measures described do not work, or not available, they should get you to a hospital emergency department right away.
Professional help: The physician will give you an injection of glucose in a vein in your arm. This works so quickly that you may even regain consciousness while the injection is being given.
