vicodin and type 1

[herringv]

My 20 year old son has recently been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. He had trouble controlling it for about 6 months-- up to 500, etc.  He is extremely responsible and tests often and takes 4 insulin shots a day.

Here is the question:  He has had a spinal fusion due to very severe scoliosis.  He is a chef on a cruise ship and stands for 12 hours at a time.  About a month ago he started taking vicodin for back pain.  I don't know how many he was taking a day-- but definitely more than the doctor prescribed. During this same period he called several times and said that his diabetes had completely gone away.  He didn't need any insulin and it was staying between 100 and 120.  He thought it was as miracle!!  This went on for weeks.

A few weeks back he called me from port and asked me to refill his vicodin prescription--I refused since he had just gotten a refill and I thought he was abusing the drug.  I got a letter yesterday that said his diabetes is totally out of control again-- 500's etc,  He is convinced it was the vicodin that kept his blood sugar levels low.

I searched the forum and found that someone else on the forum last November (pumpgirl03)said the same thing.  I am wondering if there is a connection between the narcotic pain medication and type 1.  Is there any research or clinical trials investigating this connection?

[JDRF-Team-LRS]

Hello again,
I was able to get some additional insight from someone with a medical background.  Again, the info I share here should be checked out with your son's doctor(s) to see just how his specifics relate.

Despite what your son (and pumpgirl) reported, there seems to be scientific evidence that a metabolic impact of narcotics is HYPERglycemia due to damage to insulin receptors.  I'm not sure that this one study is "definitive," but it's a bit of evidence contrary to what's been mentioned so far here.  

A citation given is: MOLECULAR AND CELLULAR BIOLOGY, Sept. 2003, p. 6255

[JDRF-Team-LRS]

herringv,
I need to do some research to answer your question, so pls check back, too. Some medications seem to make us more (or less) sensitive to insulin; other meds can affect our appetites and interest in food at all.

While I'm not a physician, what I know of most folks with Type 1 diabetes, it is not a disease that can go away without a transplant - and that's not an option for most (research will hopefully change that reality for us).

However, many Type 1s go thru an initial period, sometimes for up to a year, called a "honeymoon." During this honeymoon, our bodies are still producing some insulin altho' the clock is ticking 'til our immune system destroys that capability. During the honeymoon phase, folks may experience intervals when their insulin requirements diminish ... my endocrinologist described the phenomenon as the "sputtering & spurting" of a stressed endocrine gland. Your son may have been in the honeymoon phase while also taking a Rx that affected his sensitivity to his own insulin (thus, his need for injections was diminshed).

I would encourage you to urge your son to discuss his experiences frankly with his doctor(s). That he's abusing a narcotic is, as you know, even more dangerous because he has diabetes. Your son can benefit from some intervention sooner rather than later, altho' it's not uncommon for drug abusers to deny their addiction (I've been thru this with my beloved stepdaughter, who's now safely on the mend).

I'll do more research to find specific info on the impact of narcotics on diabetes and will post what I find here. Perhaps others will have thoughts to share also. I wish you well. This is likely very painful for you.