“Why does my son feel so hungry after taking his diabetes medication?”
My son feels extremely hungry after he takes his medication for his diabetes. Why does this happen, and how can I manage it?
4 Answers
Difficult to know without knowing actual blood glucose levels. So, important to check just before eating and then after eating when he feels hungriest. Could be a sign of hypoglycemia from too much insulin for his food intake? Would be important to document these BG readings several times and then discuss with diabetes health care team for adjustment. Sometimes could also be from too little insulin and hyperglycemia too especially if chronically underinsulinized/high A1c levels etc. Stuart Brink, MD Senior Endocrinologist, New England Diabetes & Endocrinology Center (NEDEC) c/o NEDEC, 196 Pleasant Street, Newton Centre MA 02459-1815, USA phone 1-781-572-4533, e-mail: stuartbrink@gmail.com
The right combination of long-acting and short-acting insulins usually does not cause increased appetite. Ask endocrinologist if his insulin could be correlated. Protein in each meal also prevents overeating.
Low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) triggers hunger. Check his blood sugars to be sure that he is not having hypoglycemic episodes.
Diabetes is a metabolic condition where the body either lacks insulin or is resistant to the insulin depending on which type of diabetes the the patient has. That means the blood glucose is high. In untreated or uncontrolled diabetes blood glucose spills through the kidneys. The person losses calories and losses weight.
But when diabetes gets treated with insulin or oral hypoglycemic agents the body starts to utilize the calories efficiently and the person feels hungry. Because insulin is given under the skin it lasts longer than the natural insulin from the body. This can cause low blood glucose which intern causes hunger. Frequent low blood glucose could cause more hunger and lead to weight gain.
Therefore you have to monitor the blood glucose more often give appropriate amount of insulin for his blood glucose and for meals.
If the patient has a new onset diabetes it is normal to feel hungry after starting treatment. Because the body will try to recover what it lost during his untreated diabetes time. So the kid will be hunger, eat more and gain weight for a couple of months.
Therefore focus on managing his diabetes the best way, to maintain near normal glycemic control not on his hunger. Of course you will feed him if he is hungry and give the appropriate amount of insulin for the food and the blood glucose.
Good luck
But when diabetes gets treated with insulin or oral hypoglycemic agents the body starts to utilize the calories efficiently and the person feels hungry. Because insulin is given under the skin it lasts longer than the natural insulin from the body. This can cause low blood glucose which intern causes hunger. Frequent low blood glucose could cause more hunger and lead to weight gain.
Therefore you have to monitor the blood glucose more often give appropriate amount of insulin for his blood glucose and for meals.
If the patient has a new onset diabetes it is normal to feel hungry after starting treatment. Because the body will try to recover what it lost during his untreated diabetes time. So the kid will be hunger, eat more and gain weight for a couple of months.
Therefore focus on managing his diabetes the best way, to maintain near normal glycemic control not on his hunger. Of course you will feed him if he is hungry and give the appropriate amount of insulin for the food and the blood glucose.
Good luck
