[deepak_dips]

Hi all

for those who dont know me. I am from India and got diagnosed with type II DM 7 months back. Though i registered here quite a while back,I am hardly active on forum The doc put me on Glimiperide + Metformin FDC plus atorvastatin (since lipids were also high) and 15 IU of Insulin solostar. Doc also advised that i can taper the dose of insulin if i have glycemic control and feel hypoglycemic and eventually stop insulin. Its 3 months now since i stopped insulin since i had effective glycemic control and sometimes used to get severe hypoglycemia.

That said, here is my question- I quit alcohol (I only drink dark rum or vodka) the moment i was diagnosed with DM. But since 3 months (the moment i stopped insulin) i am consuming alcohol at least once in a month, though i check my glucose levels before going to bed that night and check fasting and post-prandial in the morning. To date even after consuming alcohol i had good glycemic control and also never got the ill-effects of alcohol well known for a diabetic sudden fall in glucose levels. Can you guys please suggest whether its okay to consume alcohol occasionally say once in a month to the limit of getting drunk?

Your comments please....

EDIT: sorry if this was already discussed on other threads. Mods, requesting you to merge with relevant threads if u feel so - Thanks

 

[breezeonby]

Hi all

for those who dont know me. I am from India and got diagnosed with type II DM 7 months back. Though i registered here quite a while back,I am hardly active on forum The doc put me on Glimiperide + Metformin FDC plus atorvastatin (since lipids were also high) and 15 IU of Insulin solostar. Doc also advised that i can taper the dose of insulin if i have glycemic control and feel hypoglycemic and eventually stop insulin. Its 3 months now since i stopped insulin since i had effective glycemic control and sometimes used to get severe hypoglycemia.

That said, here is my question- I quit alcohol (I only drink dark rum or vodka) the moment i was diagnosed with DM. But since 3 months (the moment i stopped insulin) i am consuming alcohol at least once in a month, though i check my glucose levels before going to bed that night and check fasting and post-prandial in the morning. To date even after consuming alcohol i had good glycemic control and also never got the ill-effects of alcohol well known for a diabetic sudden fall in glucose levels. Can you guys please suggest whether its okay to consume alcohol occasionally say once in a month to the limit of getting drunk?

Your comments please....

EDIT: sorry if this was already discussed on other threads. Mods, requesting you to merge with relevant threads if u feel so - Thanks

Hello and welcome to the forum! Try and be active on the forum, you can learn so much from others. I don't drink, so all I can say is drink in moderation. I am sorry that I can't answer your question, but if you don't engage in drinking, you will know nothing about it. Visit often and take care!

 

[onaughmae]

Hi all

for those who dont know me. I am from India and got diagnosed with type II DM 7 months back. Though i registered here quite a while back,I am hardly active on forum The doc put me on Glimiperide + Metformin FDC plus atorvastatin (since lipids were also high) and 15 IU of Insulin solostar. Doc also advised that i can taper the dose of insulin if i have glycemic control and feel hypoglycemic and eventually stop insulin. Its 3 months now since i stopped insulin since i had effective glycemic control and sometimes used to get severe hypoglycemia.

That said, here is my question- I quit alcohol (I only drink dark rum or vodka) the moment i was diagnosed with DM. But since 3 months (the moment i stopped insulin) i am consuming alcohol at least once in a month, though i check my glucose levels before going to bed that night and check fasting and post-prandial in the morning. To date even after consuming alcohol i had good glycemic control and also never got the ill-effects of alcohol well known for a diabetic sudden fall in glucose levels. Can you guys please suggest whether its okay to consume alcohol occasionally say once in a month to the limit of getting drunk?

Your comments please....

EDIT: sorry if this was already discussed on other threads. Mods, requesting you to merge with relevant threads if u feel so - Thanks

I dont think it will worsen your diabetes, if that is what you are asking. Just check your blood sugar before and after since alcohol does contain some carbs and can cause hypoglycemia sometimes. I do occasionally enjoy a glass of wine with my dinner with no ill effects. I dont drink to the point of being drunk, simply because I dont care to. Usually in moderation it should be fine.

 

[joe_h]

I'd talk w/ your doctor but drinking in moderation should be fine (but just be aware of signs of low blood sugar)

apparently rum is pretty low in carbs
Rum Carb Counts and Nutrition - Low Carb

and vodka has no carbs:Carbs in Vodka

Flavored Vodkas on Low Carb - Low Carb

 

[jaynetype2]

Breezonby makes a good point. Everything in moderation. If we all follow that in everything we do, eat or drink, we would all be alot healthier.
It concerns me that alcohol is that important in your life.
I go out to parties (not very often) and I don't drink but I do have a good time.
I have actually had people ask me the next day if I was hungover because I seemed to be having so much fun.

 

[onlymep]

hi Deepak... it's Ok to drink alcohol as diabetic... although drinking to get drunk wouldn't be wise especially considering the first thing that goes when you're having a hypo is your judgement... and if you're drunk that's the same thing really isn't it.... so it could be dangerous for you as you may not identify you are having a hypo when drunk. Here we get advised by educators and dietitians that it's Ok to enjoy alcohol in moderation only. We also get advised to choose wisely what types of alcohol is consumed. Eg. they recommend that wine is mixed with tonic water to reduce effects on you. Personally I like to have an occasional drink but I only have 1-2 standard drinks at a time. The other thing I find is that different alcoholic beverages can affect your BGLs different ways. Eg. with champagne my BGL soared, but with cider my BGL plummented. I notice with wine I can get either high or low BGLs. Check what works best for you and I would recommend that you stay sober for your own safety.

 

[deepak_dips]

thanks guys for all your advices

although drinking to get drunk wouldn't be wise especially considering the first thing that goes when you're having a hypo is your judgement... and if you're drunk that's the same thing really isn't it.... so it could be dangerous for you as you may not identify you are having a hypo when drunk.

@onlymep - I agree with you that hypo effect and alcohol drunk effects have same symptoms and you can always get confused. But just wanted to clarify that after the drink session before going to bed at night i always check my blood sugar and it was always normal so far. That said, can i claim that the drunk effect i was getting is actually the alcohol effect and not hypo since the sugars were normal?

 

[onlymep]

hi Deepak.... yes alchohol can make your BGLs seem Ok. But you really don't know what's happening when you're actually drinking. It's good that you go back to normal before you go to bed, although do you your BGLs spike and then drop? I've also been advised here that alchohol content itself can actually drop your BGLs and that's why they recommend we add tonic water & such to the beverages to make the carb count & the alcohol content lower. So you need to consider how much carbs are in the drink too as well as alcohol content.

 

[onlymep]

ps... your BGL's could also be dropping too low (especially if you're starting to feel tipsy/drunk) and so then you get the liver dump to bring your BGLs back up. This isn't good either. If I was you I would be regularly checking your BGLs during a drinking session to get an idea as to what impact alchohol has on you. The best thing though is to drink in moderation only.

 

[Shanny]

I agree with Mep . . . I'd be checking bg throughout the celebration, making sure I know exactly what's happening as you go along. Just a final test at bedtime isn't enough information; you need to know if you're trending upward or downward.

Since I haven't gotten drunk in the last 40 years, I don't know how my diabetes reacts with alcohol - I have only one or two drinks at a time nowdays. My issue with getting drunk was loss of control - not that I didn't have a good time being tipsy, but I got pretty ornery sometimes, and behaved accordingly.

 

[Joshua Shorter]

I had only had a couple months of drinking experience before I got diagnosed and had only drank a couple times when that happened. I haven't even had one drop of alcohol since being diagnosed and don't see a reason why I ever would. There is too much risk invovled for me to feel comfortable partaking.
With that said, I think as long as you know what your body is doing while you are drinking and you are not drinking so much that you lose control, either physically or mentally, and you can still understand and sense what is going on, you should be fine. Only you can know what that point is. Is it 2 drinks? 3? 4? 5?
I hope you find out what works for you.

 

[DrDon]

I still consume alcohol, but not like I used to. Everything is much more carefully monitored, now. Which basically means I haven't had a good buzz in eons. Not worth it.

 

[lia]

The other thing I find is that different alcoholic beverages can affect your BGLs different ways.

It depends if they have carbs or not. Beer and sweet wine will raise your sugar levels. Very dry wine or beer will not, or hardly enough to be measured. The alcohol by itself will not raise your bg. The 2 types of hard liquor deepak mentioned will not raise blood glucose levels.

In fact alcohol and fats are the only energy sources your body can process without insulin. You do not need to inject to cover for alcohol, but you would have to if you use a sweet mix, or a carb included drink like sweet wine or beer.

I got pretty ornery sometimes, and behaved accordingly.

Truly scary. I would have run for it if I was around then

I've checked out alcohol extensively, not by shoplifting, but by buying it

I still do drink probably too much. There are plenty of good reasons not to drink, but blood sugar control isn't one of them. People who moralize like to throw everything they can your way. If they know you are a diabetic, that might get included.

I've been in the Delhi area quite a few times. I've done almost an extreme amount of travelling. I'm not sure why, but I don't have a very sophisticated sense of taste. I've had some of the more expensive cognacs but only when they were served free, like on Singapore Airlines. Most of the time I could not understand why anyone would drink the stuff. It tasted peculiar to me.

And in Delhi, I always liked Bombay Rum. It was about a third the price that it is in Canada, and I really liked it. So there your have it, my personal recommendation for your local alcohol But I expect you might prefer to do your own research.

Nice to hear from you deepak. One thing I appreciate about the net is that it brings a lot of the world closer together.

Hope everything goes well. I know diabetes is a serious problem in India now. Stay as active as you can.

best wishes

 

[rinfrance]

Hi, see my introduction post, it does not cause me grief, I drink Pastis, red wine Calve malted whisky and whatever, start gently and see what effects you get, however slight change of subject, I see you take metformin, I have now gotton several friends with clicky fingers, shoulder problems amongst others. Have you these side effects?
My diabetes is in the family and we are now aware that anything with hard wheat in is a problem but alcohol is not.
Do however realise that any consumption of alcohol to excess is "not good". 1 or 2 glasses is one thing, more and you are asking for other problems.