What is a dangerously low blood sugar?
Blood sugar below 70 mg/dL (3.9 mmol/L) counts as low and deserves treatment. Below 54 is serious, and any low with confusion, inability to swallow or unconsciousness is an emergency for others to treat with emergency services on the way.
The fix for a conscious person is 15 grams of fast sugar, glucose tablets, juice or regular soda, then recheck in 15 minutes and repeat if needed, followed by a proper snack.
Repeated lows are never something to tolerate quietly; they mean the medicine plan needs adjusting. Tell your doctor after any bad low.
Source: American Diabetes Association, Standards of Care in Diabetes
See a doctor promptly if
- Excessive thirst, frequent urination, blurred vision or unexplained weight loss. These suggest diabetes and need testing, not tracking
- Sweating, shakiness, palpitations or confusion a few hours after eating that resolves with food, especially if repeated
- A fasting glucose of 126 mg/dL (7.0 mmol/L) or more, or an HbA1c of 6.5 percent (48 mmol/mol) or more on repeat testing
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Answered by the AskDoc Medical Team · Medically reviewed under our Medical Director, MBBS · How we review
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