Font Size
A
A
A

Low Blood Sugar (Hypoglycemia) (cont.)

Medications

The best medication is glucose, given orally as cake icing, hard candy (not chocolate), a liquid containing table sugar, or intravenously as dextrose-containing solutions. Adrenal insufficiency is treated by giving hydrocortisone (as tablets or intramuscular injection, pending definitive medical therapy). Children with growth hormone deficiency are treated with daily growth hormone injections.

The physician may prescribe specific medications, like diazoxide (Proglycem) or streptozotocin (Zanosar), if the low sugar is refractory or recurrent. These drugs work by suppressing insulin release from the pancreatic beta cells.



Next: Surgery »

Viewer Comments & Reviews

Hypoglycemia - Effective Treatments

The eMedicineHealth physician editors ask:

What kinds of treatments have been effective for your hypoglycemia?

Anonymously share your comment to help others. Viewer Comments FAQs
See 10 Viewer Comments & Reviews

Submit Your Review


Printer-Friendly Format  |  Email to a Friend

Diabetes

Find tips and advances in treatment.

Are You Depressed? Take the Quiz


Read What Your Physician is Reading on eMedicine

Hypoglycemia »

Hypoglycemia is a syndrome characterized by a reduction in plasma glucose concentration to a level that may induce symptoms of low blood sugar.

Read More on eMedicine »

Medical Dictionary