Dextrose, Blood Sugar and Diabetes

[Random_dood]

I did a forum search and found differing opinions on whether a dextrose infusion raises blood sugar significantly or contributes to diabetes. Has any tested their blood sugar afterwards and compared it to normal range? And should that really be compared to fasting glucose or would it make more sense to compare to glucose after a meal?

Is there anything else that might be a risk besides diabetes, from having a high concentration of sugar in a limited space? Infection maybe? Besides mistakes or anything else that can also happen with saline.

Thanks in advance.

[pipefitterdom]

It’s not going directly into the circulatory system it’s hanging out in your bag, where it is time released especially if you tie off frequently.
I get muscle cramps when I go a little overboard and it flows out into my torso

[Random_dood]

It’s not going directly into the circulatory system it’s hanging out in your bag, where it is time released especially if you tie off frequently.
I get muscle cramps when I go a little overboard and it flows out into my torso

Right so I figure it wouldn’t raise blood sugar too much especially compared to food (<180 mg/dL), but has anyone confirmed this with a glucose test? Assuming the test is fine, does that then mean that the long term risks are trivial to none or are there other risks I’m forgetting.?

I found this from another search: “ A few ahours after filling with 5% i measured 175 mg/dl”. Turned out he had insulin resistance though. So I assume that means you make sure you don’t have insulin resistance, keep the % limited and then it’s ok?

[pipefitterdom]

My uneducated opinion would be stick to Saline 4.5% or start with 100ml d5 and see how you react each time after increasing the amount of your infusions.
I am a huge proponent of moderate infusions because building up size over a few days limits the melon phase unless you get a chill. Those bag muscles are working against us to squeeze the fluids out which in your case should be as limited as possible.

[Squirrel]

When I first started using glucose 15 years ago I had a blood glucose test kit for a diabetic pet. I did some testing after infusing 300-500ml D10 in water. I don't have notes but I do remember my blood glucose level was notably elevated after infusions.

Pre infusion and 3-5 hours after eating I got readings of 110-130. It raised to 190-200 over the next 5 hours. It stayed there for about 12-24 hours and then worked it's way back down to my normal over another day.

Infusing dex in open tissue is not as bad as putting it directly in a vein. It's still skipping our body's normal way of processing sugars though. My guess is that it was going to the kidneys/liver via the bloodstream. Hence my elevated readings that didn't immediately spike or rapidly drop.

[PumperSoCal]

In a normal person. It will slightly increase your blood sugar, as it's designed to be that way. Into your scrotum or into your bloodstream directly, it gets their eventually. Everyone also responds to it differently. Being diabetic myself, I don't go near it for the obvious reasons. But if you're pre-diabetic or have a disorder or take medications that can raise your blood sugar you need to avoid it. For a normal person not versed dealing with hyperglycemic episodes. High blood sugar is dangerous as is low blood sugar. Especially if you have elevated above normal blood sugar levels for more than a few hours. High blood sugar can lead to a condition known as Ketoacidosis, which you do not want. It will end you up in the hospital or potentially kill you. Having had it as a diabetic a few times, one so badly it nearly killed me. It's something people need to not even get your levels to or near.

Will it cause diabetes? No. Not exactly, but raised blood sugar levels can lead to diabetic like complications if you do too much of it. Signs of hyperglycemia include lethargy/tiredness, extreme thirst, muscle cramping, headache, and in extreme cases nausea, vomiting, coma, and death. There are other long term issues with it, but infrequent inflations likely wouldn't cause the majority of those long term issues most diabetics tend to suffer from. But as mentioned above, if you're diabetic, pre-diabetic, or have medications that cause raised blood sugar levels, don't use it.

Personally, I'd recommend anyone using Dextrose to use a glucose monitor to monitor your levels. A normal person's readings should range between 70-99 mg/dL. If during an infusion it spikes to 180 you're probably okay, as it can get that high after high sugar or carbohydrate meals. But if it goes higher than that, you need to stop the infusion. You start getting into the 200s or higher ranges the amount of risk you're taking goes up quite a bit to start suffering from hyperglycemic conditions. 250-300 you'll likely start to feel notably bad. If it's that high for long periods of time or higher, you should go to the hospital immediately.