My 20 year old boyfriend was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of 13, regularly takes speed and occasionally takes ecstasy. He has been getting very little sleep, and in the past two weeks. He has had two attacks where he has become sick from his insulin being too high. Are the drugs responsible for this? Where can I get some statistics about the effects of drugs on diabetes that will show him these affects?

I do not think there are studies that accurately reflect the information you are requesting. For one thing, the drugs you are talking about are all illegal and no prospective study would ever be approved. To my knowledge, there is not a network for collecting such data on a national level.

The real issue is that any time an individual takes drugs that have a mood-altering effect, they blunt a person’s ability to sense what is going on around them. That also means that they will not be able to sense low sugars or make good decisions about the management of their diabetes. If your boyfriend is taking the medications to escape from having diabetes, I would suggest he needs counseling to deal with this. As it is now, he is running a high risk for a dangerous life-threatening event.

JTL