An Underdiscussed Question

[Martha657]

I was wondering about the effects of illicit drugs on diabetes, especially extacy.  Does it make blood sugars go up or down? Any information would help, maybe a website with this info.

[eatingthat]

Hi,

I've been type 1 for 16 years. Below is not medically approved advice clearly, just my approach and experience.

In my experience Mdma does not appear to affect blood sugar significantly itself. It does suppress appetite and you tend to be take it in situations where you will be dancing hard. Clearly not eating and exercising in combination will cause your blood sugar to drop rapidly.

Take alcohol out of the equation, stick to soft drinks. Test frequently, carry emergency sugar, drink occasional cokes and red bulls and keep your sugars just on the high side as if you were about to embark on a long run/swim/cycle.

Second problem is being in a deep sleep after an all nighter. Again - run your blood sugar higher than you normally would. Set an alarm to wake you up every 2-4 hours to check it - will be hard to wake clearly - but it's got to be done.

Make sure everyone you're with understands you're approach, so you're not getting pestered into drinking alcohol and if you need sugar in a hurry you've got people who don't mind barging to the front of a bar queue to get you an emergency coke etc.

Hope that's helpful.

[dazzzed1994]

hell yes it is i hate being type one cant to anything fun but life goes on =(

[Jaxigirl]

Last year I had 4 wisdom teeth taken out at once...yep...ouchhh. and they gave me percocet

I went to sleep for about 5 hours  ( i am on the insulin pump so I do not have to eat a regimented time)  I woke up and my blood sugar was 39 and I was hallucinating.  I wouldn't take sugar because I was CONVINCED that the TV told me it was ok not to.  LOL.  It was kind of scary and needless to say I didn't use them after that one day.

If you do choose to do any sort of drugs, just be sure someone is with you that will be well enough to take care of you.  Everything is 10x worse for us type ones.

[jspear]

Martha - You don't provide much background, but your intentions seem to be your going to try it...posting asks about the effects of it almost reveals as much.

My response would be that you only live once....but I wouldn't make a habit of it. Also take into account the fact you can remove diabetes as a decision factor in most situations with a little planning(e.g. eat so you don't go low or bolus if you eat.)

good luck. If you find anything out make sure to share the knowledge.

[JDRF-VOL-SG]

A number of medical papers are on the web, evaluating the effects of ecstasy on people. I will post a couple of web sites for you to look at.

The website below tells of the most recent findings on this drug (which is also referred to as MDMA in medical writings). This study is recent and is the most common subject on the web right now because it is a new finding. Apparently, this drug does permanent memory damage in people who use it, and the writers point out that they do not make the distinction between people who have only used it a few times vs. habitual users. Apparently, this damage to the memory abilities happens to all users. Read below for information (I found a number of articles on this subject):
http://www.gizmag.com/go/7495/

Now, as to your question about the effects on glucose levels, I did find one article about a study done measuring blood glucose levels before and after MDMA use. I believe that these  people were not diabetics, for no mention is made of the test subjects being diabetic. Glucose levels lowered and hypoglycemia was a very real result in these people. The article is brief, and here is the website:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=17219137

I would do some real reading about the memory issues if I were considering using this drug. As for the hypoglycemia risk, of course that is a danger if your brain is not functioning in its usual normal mode. Certainly something to be aware of, and certainly something you need to be prepared for if it happens. Anyone with you who found you incoherent would assume that this is due to the drug's affect and would not tend to think about it possibly being due to hypoglycemia.

[Forum-vol-cmb]

To tell you the truth I do not have any experience with drugs, except the ones I took after I had my babies-I had C-sections and was given percocet for the pain.  I did not like the way it made me feel.  I stopped taking them because I felt I didn't have enough mental control to take care of my children let alone my diabetes.  I am a Type I diabetic and have been since I was 10.  I personally would not recommend taking any kind of drug that would alter your mental state because what if your blood sugar went too low-would you be able to tell and treat yourself?  Or too high?  Diabetes is a hard burden to bear, it is very difficult to manage.  I am not one to tell you what to do or not do-but I would very seriously consider the consequences.  In the coming years is it going to be more important that you are in good health or that you had a couple experiences with drugs.  I am probably not answering exactly what you asked, I do not know if extacy makes your blood sugars go up or down or the effects--but I am sure it would make you less aware of your body and what it is telling you pertaining to diabetes.