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The Effects of an Insulin Overdose

Type 1 diabetics need insulin to survive. Their bodies do not produce the insulin needed to bring their blood sugars back down to a normal level like people without diabetes. According to the American Diabetes Association, there are more than 23.6 million diabetics in the United States alone. Of these millions, you can imagine how many accidentally inject too much insulin on occasion. Knowing the symptoms of insulin overdose can keep yourself or others alive during a dangerous time.

  1. Early Symptoms

    • The body first starts to react to a dipping blood sugar, a sign of too much insulin in the body, by sweating and shaking. These tremors can feel like chills. There is also dizziness, a feeling of lightheadedness, and cold sweats. There can be hunger pains and blurry vision as well. At the first sign of these symptoms, start treating yourself for low blood sugar by eating carbohydrates, protein or (worst-case scenario) sugar.

    Severe Symptoms

    • After the blood sugar has dipped far enough, a person will start experiencing confusion and agitation. There can be difficulty speaking or understanding speech and a loss of coordination. If the blood sugar dips even further, there can be seizures, loss of consciousness, and even death. A body cannot live with blood-sugar ranges too low.

    Personalization

    • According to Drugs.com, there are some people who have their own symptoms and signs of low blood sugar (hypoglycemia). You may not have the classic signs, or have a few "classic signs" with some symptoms that are not typical of hypoglycemia. You will need to realize how to tell when your body is reaching a critically low blood-sugar level if this is the case. Proper monitoring and testing your blood sugar regularly can get you to catch a dip in blood sugar before it gets out of control.

    Warning

    • An overdose of rapid-acting insulin or short-acting insulin is going to be more serious than that of a longer-lasting insulin. Rapid-acting and short-acting insulin both are designed to bring down blood-sugar levels quickly and therefore you can go into a dangerous state of hypoglycemia faster with taking too much of these types of insulin.

    Treatment

    • There are several things that can be done to correct an insulin overdose--after having already called 911 and getting medical care on the way. Early treatment can be to drink juice or other fast glucose-raising fluids. A glucagon injection can bring blood-sugar levels up 30 points with a single injection, but it is only a temporary fix and you must eat and drink to keep the blood sugar from dipping again. Medical personnel may give you IV glucose if you are not successful in raising your sugar levels and will watch you for signs of diabetic coma.

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