I think hypoglycemia is ruining my life, please help!

[paranoidandroid]

I’ve had blood sugar problems throughout my life. As a child my mom had to leave a snack tray of fruits and vegetables available for me or I’d have problems. I’ve often noticed that I need to eat frequently or I get shaky and/or lightheaded. I experience severe “panic attacks” that often ensue in the mornings, usually after nights of drinking a few beers. The attacks are preceded by jitters, lightheadedness, cold sweats, etc. Those things have occurred for many years. I was treated for anxiety with Effexor and Buspirone, they were never effective.

  In the late February I began experiencing extreme dizzy spells. I went to several doctors including a neurologist and ENT who performed ordered tests--they found nothing.

  The dizziness renders me unable to think—this occurs sometimes without dizziness. I quit my medicines thinking they might be the cause—the attacks didn’t cease, nor did the dizzy spells, they didn’t even change in frequency or severity. It didn’t occur to me until recently that hypoglycemia could be the factor behind everything.

  I moved home this summer and now eat better, but I still experience symptoms often. How can I find out if it is indeed hypoglycemia that is causing these problems? What are the potential treatments for the disorder? Where do I go from here?

  I’m active with school and life and prior to this I did a lot of mountain bike races. I’ve watched helplessly as I’ve declined to a state of constant anxiety due to the looming possibility of dizzy spells and panic attack. I need help and don’t know where else to turn. Please advise

[JDRF-Team-LRS]

Hello,
You probably know that we're volunteers here with lots of experience with Type 1 diabetes.  None of us is a medical professional.  What you're experiencing sure sounds scary.  From what I understand from folks who have been diagnosed with hypoglycemia, their lives are quite normal now that they are educated on the foods that minimize blood sugar drops and those terrible symptoms.  They lead active, healthy lives, and yet they take care to be sure they eat right.  If you are diagnosed with hypoglycemia, you can expect to get back to an active life once you learn about your treatment plan.

The symptoms you describe are symptoms of hypoglycemia (diabetics experience hypos also).  I would recommend that you get an appointment with an endocrinologist.  This type of medical specialist will be able to give you a clear diagnosis if there's something amiss with your endocrine system.  Hypoglycemia is an endocrine condition.

Here's a reliable source of information on hypoglycemia:
http://diabetes.niddk.nih.gov/dm/pubs/hypoglycemia/  However, their information is general and cannot substitute for a thorough workup with an endocrinologist.

On a personal note, it is generally considered unsafe to simply stop one's medications, especially if that change was not planned for with your doctor.  Hope you'll call your doc, get a referral to an endo -- and let us  know what you find out.

[paranoidandroid]

I should also note that I'm 23, about 6'3 1/2", 200lbs and athletic.

[KD88]

hypoglycemia really is ruining my life. i've always had to deal with it since i was younger but i was for the most part able to control it by eating protein throughout the day. i occasionally would have bad episodes every so often but they always were a result of eating something with too much sugar or going too long without eating. My more predominant symptoms have always been irritability, mood swings, and a feeling of depression. I also get anxiety and feel like my head is foggy as well. However, for the past three or four weeks, i haven't been able to control my condition with eating. I have the same eating habits but from day to day i no longer can control my blood sugar levels. I'm not sure if there is some kind of hormonal problem I am having that is causing this because I have heard that hormones can have an effect on hypoglycemia. But it certainly is making things hard and I feel like I have no control over my life. For a good part of this past month I've had to sit home and miss out on a social life because of my all day long feeling of a blood sugar crash for which there seems to be no cure. I just wish I could get this condition under control. Has anyone had an incident where a change in hormones caused a changed in their hypoglycemia?