alcohal lowers bs?

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Permalink Reply by Sophie on November 5, 2009 at 4:49am

I tend to go continously low after drinking, 4 or 5 times. that's after a fair few drinks though

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Permalink Reply by Dave Moran on November 5, 2009 at 5:29am

Yes it does for me. I'm a type 2 but on those occasions where I do have a drink, most has been 3 beers, I do go lower than usual. My understanding of the reason is that the liver is busy processing the alcohol so it does not release any glucose to replace what you have burned.

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Permalink Reply by Xanthasun on November 5, 2009 at 6:48am

It does for me though different things affect this..even if the drink has carbs in it like beer.. and I get a bigger effect if I don't eat much while I'm drinking.

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Permalink Reply by Teena on November 5, 2009 at 7:00am

I think moderate amounts of alcohol can cause blood sugar to rise but excess alcohol can actually decrease your blood sugar level and sometimes causing it to drop into dangerous levels. Beer contain carbohydrates and may raise blood sugar.Thats why it is highly advisable to test, test, test when drinking.

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Permalink Reply by MelissaBL on November 5, 2009 at 8:58am

Unless you're drinking a sugary mixed drink (which will spike you at first), alcohol will cause a drop several hours later because your liver is impaired and does not dump its usual glycogen into your system (like Dave M said).

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Permalink Reply by Bradford on November 5, 2009 at 8:59am

Your liver cannot multi-task. It is either filtering toxins from the blood (in the case of drinking, it's filtering alcohol) OR it's putting glycogen into the blood stream. If you take insulin (or in the case of a type II, if you take your oral meds that allow your pancreas to produce insulin more efficiently) and you start drinking, you may notice your glucose rise at first because of the carbs in the drinks. After a few drinks, the liver stops putting glycogen into the bloodstream and starts filtering only. If you continue drinking and have too much insulin on board, your glucose may drop (and stay low for as long as the liver if filtering alcohol...so the more you drink, the longer it will take before the liver returns to its glycogen function).
Just check often when drinking (if you're having more than a drink or two) and don't over-bolus your insulin...

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Permalink Reply by Sameer Grover on November 5, 2009 at 10:25am

Agreed with what everyone said regarding the liver processing toxins OR producing glycogen. In my case I find that alcohol spikes my BG for about ~ 1-2 hours. I was diagnosed in college at the age of 20...and in college as everyone knows...you tend to drink a bit...(maybe more than a bit :-) ). I've pretty much mastered how much insulin to take when I drink which I'll gladly share!

Drink of Choice: Jack and Coke (not diet)
I take 1unit for each jack and coke.
Light Beer: Usually 0.5 - 1u / beer
Heavy Beer (porters, stouts, wheat): usually 1.5-2u / beer
Shots: 1u / 2 shots

At the end of the night, I tend to eat something small, half a slice of pizza, half a sandwich or somethign and take about 1/2 or 3/4 the amount of insulin I would normally take.

I've come to learn recently that my estimations are pretty much spot on, FOR ME, with my new DexCom. My overnight averages after drinking are ~ 90, and my morning BGs when I didn't have my dex were between 90-120.

This is of course after 5 years of having T1D and going way too low and way too high at times due to alcohol, but now I've pretty much perfected it.

Of course, you should figure this all out for yourself and speak to your doctor if neccessary, but just thought I'd share how I've learned to manage my alcoholic intake.

And always remember to check often!!

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