Drug-Induced Hypoglycemia
Alternate Names : Medication-Induced Hypoglycemia, Hypoglycemia from Medications
Hypoglycemia,
means that the blood glucose level is too low to be in a healthy range. Drug-
induced means that this low blood glucose level has been caused by
drugs or medicines.
What is going on in the body?
Hypoglycemia
is a harmful condition that, if left untreated, can cause coma
or even death in severe cases. Most of the time, the levels of glucose in the
blood are well controlled by the body. Certain kinds of medicine, however,
may cause a level of blood glucose that is lower than a healthy range.
What are the causes and risks of the condition?
Hypoglycemia due to medicines is most often seen in a
person with diabetes.
The person is often taking medicines, such as insulin shots, to keep the
blood glucose from getting too high. A person's blood glucose may get
too low because:
too much medicine was taken
nothing was eaten after taking the medicine
the person exercised longer or harder than usual
Other substances can also cause hypoglycemia in some
people, including:
alcohol
certain nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medicines, called NSAIDs
certain antibiotics
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