Treatment

Immediate treatment

If you have symptoms of hypoglycemia, do the following:

• Eat or drink 15 to 20 grams of fast-acting carbohydrates. These are sugary foods without protein or fat that are easily converted to sugar in the body. Try glucose tablets or gel, fruit juice, regular — not diet — soft drinks, honey, and sugary candy.
• Recheck blood sugar levels 15 minutes after treatment. If blood sugar levels are still under 70 mg/dL (3.9 mmol/L), eat or drink another 15 to 20 grams of fast-acting carbohydrate, and recheck the blood sugar level again in 15 minutes. Repeat these steps until the blood sugar is above 70 mg/dL (3.9 mmol/L).
• Have a snack or meal. Once your blood sugar is normal, eating a snack or meal can help stabilize it and replenish your body's glycogen stores.

Immediate treatment of severe hypoglycemia

Hypoglycemia is considered severe if you need help from someone to recover. For example, if you can't eat, you might need glucagon injection or intravenous glucose.

In general, people with diabetes who are treated with insulin should have a glucagon kit for emergencies. Family and friends need to know where to find the kit and how to use it in case of emergency.

If you're helping someone who is unconscious, don't try to give the person food or drink. If there's no glucagon kit available or you don't know how to use it, call for emergency medical help.

Treatment of an 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 or stopping the medication or adjusting the dosage.
• Tumor treatment. A tumor in your pancreas is treated by surgical removal of the tumor. In some cases, partial removal of the pancreas is necessary.