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Treatments and drugs
By Mayo Clinic staffTreatment of hypoglycemia involves:
- Immediate initial treatment to raise your blood sugar level
- Treatment of the underlying condition that's causing your hypoglycemia to prevent it from recurring
Immediate initial treatment
The initial treatment depends on your symptoms. Early symptoms can usually be treated by consuming sugar, such as eating candy, drinking fruit juice or taking glucose tablets to raise your blood sugar level. If your symptoms are more severe, impairing your ability to take sugar by mouth, you may need an injection of glucagon or intravenous glucose. If you're prone to severe episodes of hypoglycemia, ask your doctor if a home glucagon kit might be appropriate for you.
Treatment of the underlying condition
Preventing recurrent hypoglycemia requires your doctor to identify the underlying condition and treat it. Depending on the underlying cause, treatment may involve:
- Medications. If a medication is the cause of your hypoglycemia, your doctor will likely suggest changing the medication or adjusting the dosage.
- Tumor treatment. A tumor in your pancreas is treated by surgical removal. Nesidioblastosis, enlargement of the pancreatic cells that make insulin, may be treated by partial removal of the pancreas.
- Patient guide on the diagnosis and management of hypoglycemic disorders (low blood sugar) in adults. The Hormone Foundation. http://www.hormone.org/Resources/upload/patient-guide-diagnosis-and-management-hypoglycemia-022509.pdf. Accessed Nov. 12, 2011.
- Aminoff MJ, et al. Disorders of cognitive function. Clinical Neurology. 7th ed. New York, N.Y.: The McGraw-Hill Companies; 2011. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=5143601.
Accessed Nov. 16, 2011. - Hypoglycemia. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. http://diabetes.niddk.nih.gov/dm/pubs/hypoglycemia/index.htm. Accessed Nov. 13, 2011.
- Hypoglycemia (low blood glucose). American Diabetes Association. http://www.diabetes.org/living-with-diabetes/treatment-and-care/blood-glucose-control/hypoglycemia-low-blood.html. Accessed Nov. 13, 2011.
- Cryer PE, et al. Hypoglycemia. In: Longo DL, et al. Harrison's Online. 18th ed. New York, N.Y.: The McGraw-Hill Companies; 2012. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=9141631. Accessed Nov. 16, 2011.
- Josefson J, et al. Hypoglycemia in the emergency department. Clinical Pediatric Emergency Medicine. 2009;10:285.
- Cryer PE. Hypoglycemia in type 1 diabetes mellitus. Endocrinology and Metabolism Clinics of North America. 2010;39:641.
- Masharani U, et al. Pancreatic hormones and diabetes mellitus. In: Gardner DG, et al. Greenspan's Basic & Clinical Endocrinology. 9th ed. New York, N.Y.: The McGraw-Hill Companies; 2011. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=8407307. Accessed Nov. 16, 2011.
- Goyal N, et al. Type 1 diabetes mellitus. In: Tintinalli JE, et al. Tintinalli's Emergency Medicine: A Comprehensive Study Guide. 7th ed. New York, N.Y.: The McGraw-Hill Companies; 2011. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=6379758. Accessed Nov. 16, 2011.
- Vella A, et al. Hypoglycemia and pancreatic islet cell disorders. In: Goldman L, et al. Goldman's Cecil Medicine. 24th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2011. http://www.mdconsult.com/books/page.do?eid=4-u1.0-B978-1-4377-1604-7..00238-4&isbn=978-1-4377-1604-7&uniqId=303466088-3#4-u1.0-B978-1-4377-1604-7..00238-4--s0010. Accessed Nov. 21, 2011.
- Service FJ (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Nov. 18, 2011.
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