Cold
sweats, trembling hands, intense anxiety, a general sense of confusion —
no, it’s not the night before final exams. These are the signs of low
blood sugar or hypoglycemia, which can result from an insulin overdose, a
potentially dangerous complication of diabetes.
Hypoglycemia happens to
many people with diabetes. And it can sometimes be serious. Thankfully,
most episodes related to insulin are avoidable if you stick with a few
simple rules. WebMD takes a look at how to prevent and treat insulin
When Insulin Works too Well
Insulin
stimulates the cells of the body to absorb sugar (glucose) out of the
blood. It also inhibits the production of glucose by the liver. In type 1
diabetes, the body does not make insulin. In type 2 diabetes, the body
is resistant to the insulin the body does make, and with time the
pancreas may make less insulin.
All people
with type 1 diabetes need to take insulin injections. Many people with
type 2 diabetes — those whose blood sugar can’t be controlled with oral
medication, diet, and exercise — take insulin injections.
There are several ways you can get too much insulin in your system and have a drop in your blood sugar:
- You inject too much insulin because you have difficulty reading the syringes or vials or are unfamiliar with a new product.
- You inject the right
amount of insulin but the wrong type. For instance, you normally take 30
units of long-acting and 10 units of short-acting insulin. Injecting 30
units of short-acting insulin is an easy mistake to make.
- You inject insulin, but
then didn’t eat. Short-acting insulin injections should be timed with
meals. Blood sugar rises after meals, but without eating, insulin lowers
blood sugar levels to a potentially dangerous level.
- You inject the right
amount of insulin but inject it into an arm or leg just before exercise.
Physical activity can lower blood sugar levels and also affect insulin
absorption: Don’t inject in an area affected by the exercise.
Symptoms of an Insulin Overdose
It doesn’t
matter how it happens. An insulin overdose always has the same effect:
low blood sugar levels, or hypoglycemia. Symptoms of hypoglycemia
include:
- Anxiety
- Confusion
- Extreme hunger
- Fatigue
- Irritability
- Sweating or clammy skin
- Trembling hands
If sugar levels continue to fall during an insulin overdose, serious complications — seizures and unconsciousness — can occur.
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