hypoglycemia (I am not diabetic)

I havent seen a doctor but i have been doing a lot research online on my own and i have come to the conclusion that i am most likely hypoglycemic.  I have a lot of symptoms for hypoglycemia but i also have some other symptoms that are related to blood sugar that i am not sure would be related to hypoglycemia. As far as i can remember i have had dark areas on my neck and armpits and i got curious about what could be causing it so i decided to do a little research and found that darkness in the armpits and neck are related to insulin and diabetes, but i have also found in doing research that in hypoglycemia insulin levels should be low, but i also found that there are instances of hypoglycemia being related to Hyperinsulinism. I am wondering what exactly causes this and what the conditions associated with it are. Also i am extremely over weight but i have a very physicaly demanding job and i dont eat a lot of junk food so i am wondering if hypoglycemia and hyperinsulinism could be related to weight gain.

Thank you in advance for any helpful information you can provide.

[Anita Ramsetty, MD]

Hello,

The dark areas you describe may be acanthosis nigricans, which is a skin manifestation of hyperinsulinemia(high insulin levels). People who have high insulin levels can have symptoms of hypoglycemia after eating if they have an overly brisk insulin response to eating(a bit of an "over shoot" in insulin levels). Often the blood sugar level is actually not that low, but what you feel is the sudden drop from a relatively higher level to a lower number once the insulin starts working. The only way to truly diagnose hypoglycemia is by checking glucose numbers. We usually refer to a level as "true hypoglycemia" if it is below 55mg/dL or thereabouts.
Losing weight, eating healthier foods and increasing physical activity will help decrease insulin resistance and therefore hyperinsulinemia for the vast majority of people. There are also medications that can help. I suggest speaking with your doctor about some formal testing, a weight loss program and possible medications (if appropriate) that will help.

Take care.

[bethbell2010]

A related discussion, hypoglycemia? was started.