Hypoglycemia -- the medical term for low blood glucose levels -- causes unpleasant and even potentially life-threatening symptoms, particularly if you have diabetes. Drinking alcohol can potentiate hypoglycemia, even several days after you drink, the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases reports. Raising blood glucose levels through food or medication reverses hypoglycemia; preventing hypoglycemia may mean avoiding alcohol. Talk to your doctor about alcohol consumption if you're diabetic or suffer from hypoglycemia.
Causes
Alcohol has a toxic effect on your liver. In large quantities, it permanently damages liver cells. Life Extension warns that even in small quantities, well below the blood alcohol levels used to define intoxication, alcohol can cause hypoglycemia if you don't eat enough while you're drinking. When you don't eat, you use up the available glucose in your blood and your blood sugar drops. Alcohol blocks your liver from releasing stored glucose into your blood, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Avoiding Hypoglycemia
The key to avoiding hypoglycemia caused by alcohol consumption is to eat enough while drinking to keep your glucose levels up. Never drink alcohol without eating a meal or snack at the same time. A hypoglycemia reaction can occur even one to two days after you've been drinking without eating.
Simple Treatments
If you have diabetes or suffer from hypoglycemia, always carry glucose tablets or hard candy with you in case you develop symptoms. Early symptoms of hypoglycemia include shakiness, sweating, anxiety, hunger, dizziness, confusion or difficulty thinking. At the first sign of symptoms, eat something that contains sugar to bring up your glucose levels quickly. Once your blood sugar stabilizes, eat a meal or snack that contains protein, complex carbohydrates or fat, which take longer to metabolize and keep your blood sugar stable for a longer period of time.
Drugs to Treat Hypoglycemia
Some diabetics have hypoglycemia unawareness, meaning they don't have early warning symptoms and may pass out before realizing they're hypoglycemic. If you suffer from severe hypoglycemia, ask your doctor about prescribing glucagon, an injectable form of glucose. Make sure someone with you knows how to administer glucagon in case you pass out before you can consume sugar orally. Because the symptoms of intoxication and hypoglycemia can appear similar, it's important to let your friends and family know you have this condition and what to do if it occurs.
