Hi helen36,
It seems that most problems with alcohol intake while taking
sulfonylurea is dependant on three things:
1-Whether the person is in a fasting state
2-How much alcohol is consumed
3-Age of person
Some studies have shown that one drink, after a meal is not harmful to
a patient taking sulfonylurea. The danger is when the person drinking
has not eaten. Like many things medical, there are numerous variables
in determining the incidence and prevalence of alcohol. The person?s
age, dosage of sulfonylurea, whether the person is fasting, whether
the person is overweight, timing of the alcohol intake, etc. I found
no hard data as to the prevalence of this happening. Sulfonylurea
stays active in the body for a long time, and may cause hypoglycemia
itself, by increasing insulin production in the pancreas. Even without
considering alcohol consumption, persons taking sulfonylurea should
eat well balanced meals, regularly.
Please keep in mind that this answer is for informational purposes
only, and is not intended to replace sound medical advice from your
doctor. Because of copyright protection, I have included snippets of
information from informative web sites. You can click the links to
read the entire article.
?A beer or two after skipping a meal may not be a good idea for type 2
diabetic patients who take the prescription drugs known as
sulfonylureas to treat their diabetes, according to a study by
researchers at the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center in
Albuquerque.? And ?The key is whether you eat or not," Dailey tells
WebMD. "I usually tell my patients who want an alcoholic beverage with
their meal that one or two drinks is not likely to be a problem, but
if they drink substantial amounts of alcoholic beverages between meals
or skip meals then the risk is substantial."
· In elderly, type 2 diabetic patients taking sulfonylureas, moderate
alcohol intake during fasting periods increases the risk of
hypoglycemia.
· Alcohol intake reduces the concentration of fatty acids in the
blood, which play a role in glucose regulation.
· The effects of moderate alcohol intake for diabetics are not
completely understood, so there are no clear recommendations for
patients.
WebMD
http://my.webmd.com/content/article/20/1728_53401?src=Inktomi&condition=Home_&_Top_Stories
RNCEUS says of sulfonylurea and alcohol intake:
?Hypoglycemia is the most serious and potentially life threatening
side effect of the sulfonylurea drugs.? and
?Other risk factors for hypoglycemia are alcohol intake??
http://www.rnceus.com/dmeds/oralag.htm
Speaking of patients taking sulfonylurea, the Merck Manual states:
?Alcoholic hypoglycemia requires prompt treatment. It can be induced
by blood alcohol levels well below the common legal driving limit of
100 mg/dL (22 nmol/L).?
According to this DiabetoValens site, a person taking sulfonylurea
should take no more than one drink a day.
?Drinking alcohol can cause blood sugar to drop in some sensitive
individuals, and hypoglycemia has been well documented in chronic
alcoholics and binge drinkers. If the blood sugar drops very low, the
person could have an accident or go into a coma and possibly die.?
And
?Low blood sugar levels can occur if the person takes too many of
sulfonylurea pills for diabetes in a day or takes the doses too close
together. Continue to take a full dose of sulfonylurea pills for
diabetes when not going to eat the usual amount of food. Exercise
strenuously without eating enough food. Drink too much alcohol,
especially on an empty stomach. If the person drinks alcohol, limit
the alcohol intake to no more than one drink a day?
http://my.diabetovalens.com/infocus/bloodsugar.asp
From Medical Forum:
?Hypoglycemia was the result of an intentional insulin overdose in one
and of alcohol ingestion in nine of the other 10 patients?
?Risk factors for hypoglycemia include compromised glucose counter
regulation as well as the conventional ones. While the authors
reported putative ?causes? in 73% of the episodes of hypoglycemia in
the patients with diabetes ? too much insulin (19%), inadequate
carbohydrate intake (28%), strenuous exercise (7%) and alcohol
ingestion (19%) ? these are really only educated guesses?
http://www.medforum.nl/idm/hypoglycemia_think_drugs,_diabetes.htm
?Normally the risk of hypoglycaemia is low among otherwise healthy
elderly fasted patients with type 2 diabetes taking oral sulfonylurea
medications. A study from the University of New Mexico Clinical
Research Center has demonstrated that low doses of alcohol may
predispose elderly type 2 diabetic patients to sulfonyl urea-induced
low blood sugar during a short-term (24 h) fast. Drinking moderate
amounts of beer or wine with your meal makes sensible drinking
especially for diabetic patients in treatment with either insulin or
oral antidiabetic medications.
http://www.aim-digest.com/gateway/pages/diabetes/articles/skoven1.htm
?Drinking alcohol increases the risk of a low blood sugar level if you
take a sulfonylurea medication. If you drink alcohol, limit yourself
to only 1 to 2 drinks per day and eat something before you drink
alcohol. Chlorpropamide can cause skin redness or flushing of your
face, neck, and arms (heat flash) if taken when you are drinking
alcohol?
MeritCare
http://www.meritcare.com/hwdb/showtopic.asp?module_abbrev=HWKB2&pd_hwid=hw133513&topic_name=Sulfonylureas%20for%20type%202%20diabetes&sequence=1
This 1999 study concluded that alcohol consumption while taking
sulfonylurea does predispose Type 2 diabetics to hypoglycemia, in
elderly patients.
?CONCLUSIONS -- Low doses of ethanol(alcohol) predispose fasted
elderly type 2 diabetic patients to low blood glucose during a
short-term fast. This may be one of several mechanisms by which
sulfonylurea-induced hypoglycemia occurs in elderly patients.?
?Ethanol is one putative risk factor that has not been evaluated as a
mechanism for low blood glucose among sulfonylurea users. We
hypothesized that low concentrations of ethanol would reduce blood
glucose concentrations in elderly type 2 diabetic patients receiving
sulfonylureas during a short-term fast.?
http://www.findarticles.com/cf_dls/m0CUH/12_22/58447352/p1/article.jhtml
Hope this helps you out! If any part of this answer is unclear, or if
I have duplicated information you already had, please request an
Answer Clarification, before rating. This will allow me to assist you
further, if possible.
Regards,
crabcakes
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