My coffee is making my sugar spike!!!

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Permalink Reply by BPM on March 19, 2008 at 10:39am

Hey there! Mine does the same thing. I use a bit of Splenda and a splash of fat free milk and it can raise mine as much as 50 points. I get up and check my sugar then do a 50% bolus for 20-25 carbs (I know it seems a lot!) and then extend for an hour or so. This actually keeps me down until I eat breakfast! Good luck!

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Permalink Reply by Jay Deragon on March 19, 2008 at 11:24am

Coffe has a funny effect on people in a different way. I drink two cups every morning with cream. My sugaro goes up 30 -40 points at most and I adjust my bolus accordingly. Others it spikes 80 - 100 points. Depends on your metabolism and other related issues such as stress, current BS and so forth

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Permalink Reply by Jimmy Stockton on April 25, 2008 at 1:58pm

I used to have to do the same routine. It seemed as though Splenda was making my bs rise. So I recently asked my endo the same question.

He then had me track my fasting basil rate (I'm a pumper). Turns out I needed to adjust my basil rate (from 1.0 units/hr to 1.2 units/hr) right when I woke up until about 10am. Now I no longer bolus for coffee, no matter how many cups I drink.

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Permalink Reply by Peter on April 25, 2008 at 2:36pm

I really glad I read these comments about coffee. I drink coffee every morning and I bolus for the milk in the coffee but I sugar goes up & up then I take a correction bolus. I am going to up my basil rate like Jimmy did and see how that works. I am not about to give up my coffee!

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Permalink Reply by Karen Doering on April 25, 2008 at 3:06pm

I really don't think it is coffee raising bloodsugars as my bloodsugar spikes every morning after I awake and I have to bolus about a unit. I have not raised my basals as my wake up time varies.

I think it is the dawn phenomenon versus coffee causing the bloodsugar rise.

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Permalink Reply by James S. Anderton on April 26, 2008 at 9:17pm

I read about a study . They thought that it was the caffiene that caused the BG to spike. I started drinking decaffienated. It just isn't the same. The caffiene is what I drink it for! I have read other studies that were pushing coffee to keep from being diagnosed . Once you are there , it just doesn't help. It did help me when I cut out the caffiene. Now , I just have real difficulty waking up in the morning. Oh well , the things that you have to cut out. I also read something in an alternative medicene site where they were pushing the raw coffee beans. I think that they called them coffee berries. They claimed that the roasting of the beans destroyed a major portion of the anti-oxidant effects of the coffee. I wonder if there is anything to this.

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Permalink Reply by emma on April 27, 2008 at 1:00pm

Personally, I drink a lot of coffee and it generally makes me go low. My theory is that it's because I have more energy and exercise more which drops my blood sugar. Honestly though I have no idea. Maybe it is just the dawn phenomenon though. Perhaps you could try doing the same test without drinking any coffee and see if you still go up.

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Permalink Reply by Flo on April 27, 2008 at 1:08pm

Sounds like it might be dawn phenomenon being you are spiking so high. I have found that I do need to bolus for the milk in my coffee. For 2 cups I figure on 20 grams of carb and bolus accordingly...works for me...:)

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Permalink Reply by Elaine on April 28, 2008 at 6:48pm

Dehydration. W/ less water in your blood stream, there is relatively more sugar. Plus, the sugarfree hazelnut creamer has some carbs. (That's my favorite flavor, too!) Plus, you're probably drinking it in the morning, when higher sugars are common.

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Permalink Reply by Lauren on April 28, 2008 at 7:14pm

I have found that Splenda and creamer (sugar free or sugar included - doesn't matter) will raise my blood sugar. I don't really think it is caffeine related, because I personally am a caffeine addict and have never had diet soda (without splenda) raise my blood sugar in any way. I mean, it could vary from person to person, mind you. Maybe try drinking a cup of straight coffee one morning and see if the coffee alone takes your blood sugar up? :) Not a tasty test but it would give you a better idea of what is causing the spikes.

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Permalink Reply by Jen on April 29, 2008 at 8:09pm

I thought it was just me. But milk (even skim, even in small doses) tends to make my blood sugars spike, so I attribute it to that. I switch on an off between Equal and Splenda, and I still get the same affect. So for me, I think it's the milk. (Oh, and I love lattes, but those are basically a cup of milk with a shot of espresso, so I'm realizing I need to take an extra unit or two of Humalog to control my blood sugars after that.)

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Permalink Reply by Sara on April 30, 2008 at 2:28pm

I've heard that coffee causes the release of stress hormones (i.e. adrenaline and glucagon) that cause your liver to dump glucose into your blood stream. So that might explain why you're seeing such a jump even going sugar free.
I always have to take a big bolus for coffee, but mostly because I like it with a lot of cream and sugar :)

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