August 14, 2003
Behavior
Question from Phoenix, Arizona, USA:
When my husband’s blood sugar is high he becomes very mean and angry, with irrational thinking, he can’t control it, and it seems to be happening more frequently than usual. His blood sugar levels have been normal to a little low, so now even when they are only slightly elevated above the normal level, small non-important things can still set him off. I am almost to the point to where I can not take anymore, and I know it’s somehow due to the diabetes. He says he can’t help it and to not take it personally, but it still hurts emotionally every single time it happens. Can you tell me what causes this? Is there anything we can do to keep it from happening?
Answer:
It is true that both high sugar and low sugar can cause some irritability, but your husband seems to be symptomatic even when his blood sugar is normal. It sounds to me that the cause is not diabetes. Any chance that he would be willing to talk to a mental health professional and get some treatment?
JS
