Hypoglycemia and Anxiety?

[shakygirl]

Does anyone suffer from hypoglycemia? I have always had sudden drops in blood sugar and never really had any problems with it.

However I have been off for last few weeks with anxiety I have noticed that when I am hungry (or blood sugar has dropped) my anxiety increases. By the end of the day (when I am fully stocked up with food) my anxiety disappears. In the morning it is terrible. Googled it and found there is a link between blood sugar and anxiety (something to do with the release of adrenalin).

Can anyone give me any advice as to how to handle this and the best foods to eat?

[kazzie]

Hi:)

I have type 2 diabetes and when my sugar goes low it can mimic a panic attack

Kaz x x x:hugs:

[Phill2]

Hi Shaky,
I suffer from hypoglycemia too and it does make you panic.
The easiest way around it is to make sure you have both morning and afternoon tea preferably with low GI foods as this helps to keep your sugar levels stable.
I have a yoghurt about an hour before bed as well.
Hope this helps.
Phill :shades:

[shakey1961]

http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=27868

Funny we should have similar nicks!!!!

Look at the link above.

I've had anxiety since 16yo and would used to feel dizzy/drunk and couldn't stand any noise.

When blood sugar drops your body, in an attemot to keep you conscious releases adrenalin into your body, and we all know what adrenalin does to you!!!!

I too feel worse of a morning. I do carry a blood sugar meter with me so I can see how bad I am. My worst time is wehn i get readings around 4.2 - 4.2 mol/l which is technically not low.

I would very much like to keep in touch with you as we seem to suffer in a similar way and it would be nice to chat to somone with the same condition.

Hope I can help you

Regards

Steve

[shakygirl]

Thanks Steve - your thread rings lots of bells for me. My problem at the moment is the anxiety makes me nauseous so of course the last thing I want to do is eat - even though I know it will make me feel better. Bit of a catch 22. I am trying really hard to eat little and often. I have lost 2 stone since January because of this anxiety and I am finding it hard to eat enough to keep my blood sugar up. I like your info about drinking plenty too. I have cut out tea and coffee and I am trying to just drink water (and occasionally juice) but I am sure I don't drink enough. Will try and up my intake.

[shakey1961]

I have had many a time when I have felt sick because my BS was down. One I vividly remember was around my evening meal. I sat down at the table and mum put egg and chips in front of me. The grease (even though ther was hardly any) made me feel worse, but I knew I had to get it down me. I took it slow and got it down, but felt better. I firmly believe that blood sugar problems have got a lot more to do with anxiety problems than the medical profession will admit.

[shakygirl]

I know what you mean - I am slowly getting to the stage where I realise that the reason I feel bad is because i NEED to eat something. I can then usually force something down and then top it up when I start to feel better. The fact that I feel so well in the evenings really points to BS problems for me. Unfortunately I have gastritis too which doesn't help!

[Kim Baker]

Hi! I too suffer from Hypoglycemia and if my BS drops I feel terrible.

I get by, by having high GI Foods which are slow to burn - a favourite of mine is Dried soft apricots and dark chocolate which you can carry around in a small container.

Thanks for posting this thread as I have always wondered if my PA's were triggered by a low BS.

Will come back to this post to see if anyone else is in the same boat.

Love,
Kim X

[kazzie]

High carb food is good.....bread potatoes pasta etc

Quick fix is lucozade

Kaz x:hugs:

[nomorepanic]

Quick fix is lucozade

Kaz x:hugs:

Please remember that lucozade contains caffeine so is a no no. I do like it but it does aggrevate my condition!

Eat all day - small amounts at a time.

[shakey1961]

Give you an example. I went to work at 6am today. I am a part-time cleaner. Felt fine then suddenly I feel rotten and panic. I check my BS on my meter and it says 4.2 which is in the worst zone for me panicking.

Least I know what was causing it which takes the sting out of the situation.

If you know why you're feeling rotten you are more relaxed and more able to cope with it.

Damn doctors treated me with tablets for years, 20 years in fact, when it was something as simple as this.

One question, don't you feel sometimes you'd rather be a true diabetic? At least that way you'd have full control over your blood sugar not like this! This is just a nightmare, still least I have my meter, but my doctor won't prescribe me the strips so I have to pay for them privately at £25 a box and that's a lot of money when you're on a low income.

[Phill2]

My Drs couldn't figure it out for years either.
In the end I found an article in the paper and took it to the Dr and said this is what I've got.
Phill :shades:

[joy]

and when you get a low/high reading and feel anxiety what do you do?

Joy

[Liverbird67]

When I feel bad and cannot eat I drink a diet replacement drink not ideal but they seem to have added vitamins in and can tide you over until the nausea subsides I find these particularly useful in the mornings (at least you are getting something in your system)

Good Luck

Debbie

[shakygirl]

That's a good idea. I am physically very low after losing so much weight so quickly so they might help replace some lost nutrients too.

[nomorepanic]

Have you looked into the GI diet to help?

[markle]

I'm hypoglycemic too. I get anxious if I delay eating. I've found if I eat before bed, I don't wake up feeling so depleted, then I eat a small low GI meal every 2 hours - 7:30am, then 9:30am, again at 11:30am, 1:30 and so on right through the day and night. It's a lot of work but it's been the only way for me to live a pseudo-normal life. Good luck.