September 30, 2005
Other
Question from Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, USA:
My daughter is nine years old and was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes this past June. We are just starting to get cold symptoms, runny nose, stuffed up nose, headache and sore throat. The pharmacist told me even the sugar free cough drops have enough sugar substitute in them, possibly enough to effect my daughter’s blood sugars. The labels don’t list how much of the inactive ingredients (sugar, etc.) are in them. Are you aware of cough drops that are “safe,” that won’t have an impact on her blood sugars? Or, are we better off with a spray even though they don’t list the amount of sugar in them.
Answer:
The amount of sugar in a cough drop is not likely going to give you a big effect on blood sugar readings. During illness, sugars tend to be erratic and you need to check more often anyway. I wouldn’t necessarily change her insulin dosing based on a cough drop.
MSB