March 17, 2002
Meal Planning, Food and Diet, Other Social Issues
Question from Superior, Wisconsin, USA:
One of my friends told me that when you drink alcohol you are not supposed to take insulin to lower your blood sugar, because when you consume alcoholic beverages, your blood sugars read high when they are actually low. Is this true? When I do drink I only drink on a full stomach or eat something while I drink, but if my sugar is high then before bed (I drink at night) I don’t take my Humalog and usually going to sleep lowers my sugars. Is this okay to do?
Answer:
Generally, alcohol initially makes your glucose high then low. It is important to stick to your usual insulin and try not to take extra insulin. Having a sensible meal and not drinking alcohol to excess are really important.
JS
[Editor’s comment: See Alcohol, Alcohol Everywhere at the American Diabetes Association website.
SS]
