What to take for the low?

[OSUMom]

At college, what do your kids have in their dorm rooms or in their backpacks for the "lows". My son finds what I have given him he wants to eat because it's too good (candy) or else he has to eat too much of eat (the glucose tabs). Are their glucose tabs that are more than 4 carbs each?

What do your sons/daughters take for the low?

Thank you for your thoughts.

[Amy C.]

My son usually drinks some juice. A sugared cola would work as well.

[susanH]

my son has always used the 4oz juice boxes. he keeps them in his room at school (i hope he still has some:eek:) along with glucose tabs. i know he has carried glucose with him, in his pocket, since forever. he isn't fond of the glucose but carring juice isnt practical.

i think the 4 oz juice box has 15 carbs in it.

[OSUMom]

Thanks ladies. Juice boxes (or soda) will be good for his room. I have this question posed on tudiabetes.com also. Some good responses are honey packets from fast food restaurants - I looked up McDonald's and theirs says 12g carbs and also someone said the ReliOn glucose gel 15g from Walmart in fruit punch flavor isn't too bad taste wise. These would be good for the backpack, and I know he wouldn't want to eat those just because.

I had bought him the Sweettart gel/paste - green apple that has 33g? carbs I think - I think he's too tempted to eat that without going low. ;)

[Margaret O]

We buy bulk CapriSun at BJ's Warehouse and he keeps them in his dorm. One has 26 carbs. Pat carries the glucose tabs and one juice in his gym bag/backpack. We keep a Caprisun in each car we drive. They are pretty good warm unlike warm soda:p

[susanH]

another word on treating lows...i'd make sure i wasn't treating the low with anything containing corn syrup; this stuff will make my son go high and stay high for hours. h/f corn syrup is in just about all commercial sweets and lots of drink box type things. it may just be my son's chemistry, but he can not handle corn syrup; it will destroy his control for days.:eek:

[Tarheel84]

OSUMom..your son sounds like mine. If I sent him candy to keep for lows he would say he felt low a little more frequently just to eat the candy!!

I was just reading in Think like a Pancreas the GI of different foods/drinks and he recommends the glucose tabs (102) as the quickest acting for raising BG levels. Skittles were 69 and jelly beans were 80. I was surprised that juice had a lower GI ratio: apple juice was 38 and OJ was 52. He said that juice is NOT the best choice for treating a low...although reading the boards it seems to be the 1st choice. It didn't list the GI for sodas??

So far my son hasn't experienced a true low yet since he still honeymooning just on Lantus. I just hope he keeps his glucose tabs with him just in case.

[Margaret O]

This is good info on the juice and corn syrup. We were always told glucose tabs, but if not that Juice box. My son is okay with tabs, but prefers the juice.

[livacreature]

Not a parent, but a college student. :) I try to not treat my lows with things that are artifical, and I don't do high fructose corn syrup under any circumstance. For serious lows, I have glucose tabs and mott's for tot's (watered down juice, 15 carbs in a big box...I like to drink a lot when I'm low). For minor lows, I have a piece of fruit or a fruit leather. Fruit leathers are great because they are really compact. Also, lite blue sky sodas are made with real sugar and have 15 carbs and 50 calories. They are good if the low isn't urgent.

[Hollyb]

Yes, the Fruit to Go or fruit leather type thing is really easily portable. To keep in his room, if he likes Gatorade those small size bottles are about right. Apparently the carbs in Gatorade are faster than juice? Little juice boxes are easy to store and keep on hand too though. Except... I would worry a bit about being able to get the straw out of the casing and into the box if a kid is on his own. I've seen Aaron have a bit of trouble with it when he was low.