“Chronic hypoglycemia?”
I have experienced consistent low blood sugar, difficulty raising blood sugar, and a myriad of symptoms from low blood sugar (depression, anxiety, shaking, fast heartbeat, low temperature, confusion, disorientation, lack of coordination, low energy, etc.) for my whole life. I want to know what might cause this and how I can treat it.
Female | 18 years old
Complaint duration: 18 years
Medications: Fluoxetine, Dexmethylphenedate
4 Answers
Dr. Adam Joo
Hospitalist
One thing that comes to mind is adrenal insufficiency, sometimes called Addison's disease. You should see your doctor and do a cortisol level and a ACTH stimulation test. Also you may also have a insulinoma, a benign tumor secreting insulin.
There are many causes for low blood sugar or hypoglycemia including endocrinological, and even medications can be causative agents as well. Please seek prompt evaluation by your doctor.
Thank you.
Thank you.
If you have had this your entire life, this may be difficult to treat. Dietary measures help some people. It would be good to know what types of physical activity you engage in. Sometimes, medications like the fluoxetine can cause your blood sugar to be low. Sometimes, people can have tumors that make their blood sugar low. You need to see your primary care doctor and start the process of finding out what is causing this.
Have your pancreatic endocrine function tested (insiulinoma) as well as a complete blood chemistry, cbc/d, tsh, liver function test, urinalysis, and a thorough physical exam. Lastly, it’s important to know if you are taking insulin (not prescribed for you). It’s a quite common cause of it.
Thank you for asking me and I hope all works well for you.
Be well,
Brent Reinheimer, MD
Thank you for asking me and I hope all works well for you.
Be well,
Brent Reinheimer, MD
