F355

I have read elsewhere that when you drink heavily for extended periods of time, your pancreas gets into the habit of releasing extra large doses of insulin to combat all that excess sugar. So if one quits drinking heavily the pancreas might still excrete more insulin than necessary resulting in hypoglycemia.

Has anyone else heard this, or experienced anything like this themselves?

I'm not asking for medical advice, just curious what everyone else out there has experienced.

I'll be getting to see a doc soon, as I have been experiencing some strange symptoms lately. If I don't eat enough during the day, I find that I'll have an episode where I'm a little dizzy/panicky/shaky until I eat a meal or consume food with high contents of sugar.

I have also found that I can no longer tolerate caffeine too well, it seems to put me into the same state as described above.

Whatever the cause, and after I see a doc, I hope that my body will return back to normal within a reasonable time.

Dee74

I believe it's pretty common, but I have no personal experience, F355.

D

TimeInABottle

This is very common. Alcohol is a lot of sugar. Weeks/months/years of abuse will of course put your pancreas in overdrive. This is part of the reason when heavy drinkers quit drinking, we crave sugar.

As part of detox, B.S (blood sugar) as well as sometimes Insulin levels are closley monitored.


T.I.A.B

F355

So this is normal even several months after quitting? I have just started experiencing these symptoms in the last few weeks, but have been sober for two months.

dotherightthing

I quit December 10th and it still happens to me. I find that eating smaller meals several times throughout the day helps. It's also a good idea to have lots of fruit and cheese around for quick easy to pick up snacks. I keep some Costco trail mix in the house for when I need to eat something NOW.

DaveVelasco

Yeah - more like in the withdrawal stage to becoming sober. It's common but it depends on how alcoholic you were before.

onlythetruth

Note: this is not medical advice!

I've been abstinent nearly 14 years and STILL have mild hypoglycemia. If I don't eat on schedule I get dizzy and even combative. I absolutely MUST eat at regular intervals. When I first quit drinking I noticed that my cravings to drink alcohol were by far the most severe when I hadn't eaten for a while, and that I could combat them by eating.

As far as eating foods high in simple sugars in response to hypoglycemia symptoms . . . that was exactly what I did at first because it worked so well. But that has a downside too. It's not necessarily the best idea (at least not long-term) to replace alcohol with candy or twinkies. Over time I found it better to eat healthy foods on a regular basis throughout the day.

CarolD

Glad to know you will be asking your doctor about blood
sugar lows and highs.
There are eating plans for either condition...

sugarbear1

Yes, I had it worse while drinking, but I still can get that way now. Eating small meals of good food helps. Vegetables are great carbs, multigrain breads in small quantities, protein. Dairy and fruits tend to turn into sugar faster than those other foods mentioned.

Very wise to see a doctor, we do damage our bodies and feeling it in a few months in early recovery is a good idea.

Also be careful as we also tend to get Candida.

Tell us what the doctor says! If you want.

Take care,

F355

Now where would I be without my pals here at SR? Thanks everyone! So I am not alone in this. I am both relieved and... surprised. Perhaps I shouldn't be, since alcohol is so destructive to our bodies. And yet... this isn't one of the consequences I had ever heard of happening, and it seems like quite a pain at this stage of things...

The biggest frustration for me is that since this started happening, I can't exercise for more than 30 minutes or so without getting symptoms of mild hypoglycemia. Which means that I can't exercise as much as I'd like, until I figure out how to manage this thing. Oh well. What WAS I thinking all those years when I used to drink wine like vitamin water?

Again, thanks everyone for the great advice. No more alcohol. Check. Lots of smaller meals of good food throughout the day instead of bags of candy whenever the symptoms strike. Check. Off to deal with this....

keepstrong

Learn to eat right, but until then B complex and a supplement of Niacinimide or non flush Niacin is a great mood and energy stabilizer

Newatthis34

I'm suffering a bit with this too,well it sounds the same. I've had two weird 'attacks' where I've gotten weak and shaky and had to rush some chocolate into my mouth and I was a bit aggressive/ratty too, very strange! It's only happened twice but it was a quite scary.

hypochondriac

I've had this alot F355. At first I was relieved that the shaking was due to not eating rather than not drinking But now it's just annoying and I'm sure the excess of refined sugar isn't helping! I may mention this to my doc too. Thanks for posting about it and hope you get it under control xxx

nel68

I have suffer from hypoglycemic for about 11 years all thru my drinking career(sober almost 5 months ) but for me its been so much better since I have stopped drinking.....but I am always prepared I have glucose tablets in my car, purse and I never go any where without something in my purse. I have had some pretty bad/scary lows not fun at all....just remember to stay calm and drink something with sugar...ie orange juice the fastest way. If you eat something it takes awhile for your body to digest the food. So drinking is the fastest way to get it up in a hurry... Always make sure if you are doing alot of activities that burns alot of energy ....working out, cleaning,yard work you have a little snack(something with balance... carb. and protein..peanutbutter&crackers ) cause you burn your glucose fast. Try not to skip meals. Hope the info helps you ...Oh and make people around you aware what to do and how to help you in case of a emergency.....P.s. When you eat try not to make it all carbs...protein will stick longer but you do need some carbs.

mwstylee

I just started to get this a couple weeks ago. I used to be able to eat 1 meal all day and not have problems. Or more commonly, not eat anything all day, just drink vodka, and not have problems.

Now,if I don't eat something every few hours, I get a mini panic attack and can visibly see my hands shaking. I wanted to cut up some veggies for salad yesterday but my hands were shaking so bad I couldn't hold a knife safely. For now I'm just trying to eat small meals throughout the day to avoid any more "episodes" .

F355

Okay, now I'm seeing how very common this condition really is... what a bummer to have messed up our metabolism so much that we now have to deal with this in sobriety. Oh well.

Thanks again everyone for all the informative replies, it's been a big help, I now have a much better idea of how to start dealing with this and will be seeing a doc soon.

Good luck out there, everyone...

Bethany57

F355: Read this thread I think it may be interesting to you. I found it very enlightening. http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/...lcoholism.html

roseblossom

Same here. I always found it strange that my blood sugar gets low but never high. I never associated it with drinking but now I see that it clearly is. I hope it is reversible over time and effort. It happens more when I'm not drinking or haven't for awhile. I feel shaky like I'm going to pass out, very hungry, irritable and weak. I always grab the nearest food. I'll keep healthy, easy snacks near by from now on. My dad uses reese cup mini's to get his back up fast and then he eats asap. Good luck and thx for sharing.

CarolD

Whoa....

Some of the symptoms mentioned...are also true for high blood sugar swings.

With my doctors ok....I did follow the eating plan + supplements for hypoglycemia fore about 6 months into sobriety.
I found it in my favorite "handbook' om alcoholism....
:Under The Influence" by milam & Ketcham.
Amazon usually has it and it's sequel .."Beyond The Influence" by Ketcham & ???

15 years later I was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes.
This requires daily oral meds....and Yes! an eating plan too...

I've found it rather easy to keep my sugar levels in the safe
range for 8 years as a diabetic.
Planning and vigilance work really well for me.

Soooo....please see what exactly you need......a simple blood test
by your doctor will give solid answers.