December 9, 2005
Other Illnesses
Question from Northville, Michigan, USA:
My 17 year old son was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes four weeks ago. He has been taking two injections of 70/30 every day. His blood sugars have been between 80 and 110 mg/dl [4.4 and 6.1 mmol/L]. He was just diagnosed with strep throat five days ago and was prescribed Penicillin VK, twice a day. His blood sugars are now running 120 to 160 mg/dl [6.7 to 8.9 mmol/L]. He is taking the same insulin injections and eating the same number of carbohydrates, etc. Can the PenicillinVK cause increased blood sugars? Can taking Penicillin VK cause a false positive glucose reading on a urine dip stick?
Answer:
Being ill can certainly cause blood sugars to be higher than normal in a child with diabetes. Frequently, kids need extra insulin during illness to help prevent blood sugars from climbing too high. Penicillin will not cause high blood sugars and should not cause a false glucose reading on urine test strip.
MSB
