For people with diabetes, drinking alcohol can cause low or high blood sugar, affect diabetes medicines, and cause other possible problems. With all of this in mind, the risks of drinking alcohol when you have type 2 diabetes may outweigh any benefits. It’s important to keep your personal health top-of-mind, right along with the advice of your healthcare provider. For example, studies have shown that for people who have type 2 diabetes, occasionally drinking alcohol may slightly reduce glucose levels. This means drinking can make it even harder for people with type 2 diabetes—which is blood alcohol content (bac) depends on defined by elevated glucose levels—to manage their blood sugar.

These agents reduce ADH activity in the stomach mucosa (Caballeria et al. 1991), and cimetidine also may increase the rate of gastric emptying. As a result, alcohol consumed with cimetidine undergoes less first-pass metabolism, resulting in increased BALs. Not all H2RAs, however, exert the same effect on BALs when taken with alcohol. Infection with the hepatitis C virus, which can result in serious and even fatal liver damage, is common in the United States and around the world. The only effective treatment to date involves a substance called interferon-α, often in combination with an agent called ribavirin, and has a cure rate of approximately 40 percent.

Before you take this drug, be sure to talk with your doctor about your health history. Glyxambi may not be the right treatment option if you have certain medical conditions or other factors affecting your health. Herbal medications currently are widely used, and many people assume that because these products are “natural,” they also are safe to use.

In addition, liver toxicities caused by various natural products have now been identified (Heathcote and Wanless 1995), and their combination with alcohol may enhance potential adverse effects. To date, limited documentation of such interactions exists because of a lack of scientific studies on this subject (Miller 1998). The liver not only metabolizes alcohol, but it also stores glucose, which can be released when hypoglycemia occurs.

Alcohol and Medication Interactions

Your body processes alcohol differently than most foods and beverages. And if you have type 2 diabetes, drinking alcohol may have some benefits—such as lowering glucose levels in the blood—and some real risks, like driving glucose levels down too low. Within a few minutes of drinking alcohol, and for up to 12 hours afterward, alcohol can cause your blood glucose level to drop. After consuming alcohol, always check your blood glucose level to make sure it is in the safe zone. People with diabetes who plan on drinking alcohol should check their blood sugar levels before and up to 24 hours after drinking.

1. Drinking alcohol carries the same health risks for people with diabetes as it does in otherwise healthy people.
2. It may sound harsh, but it’s advice that any healthcare provider is likely to give.
3. Alcohol is broken down to acetaldehyde either by alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) or cytochrome P450 (CYP).
4. Below is the alcohol content in some common alcoholic drinks, according to the CDC.
5. Because of this, you should talk with your doctor or pharmacist before taking any vitamin product with Glyxambi.

The Effects of Alcohol on Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes

The normal loss of lean body weight and increase in body fat that occurs with aging has a similar effect on BALs. The potentially higher BALs can exaggerate alcohol-medication interactions in both women and older people. Aside from this effect of gender and age on BALs, researchers have not reported any other major gender- or age-related differences in susceptibility to alcohol-medication interactions.

Do I need to drink more water while taking Glyxambi?

The contribution of bacteria living in the large intestine (i.e., colon) to gastrointestinal alcohol metabolism is still controversial. Laboratory experiments have demonstrated that these bacteria can metabolize alcohol. In addition, a breakdown product of alcohol (i.e., acetaldehyde) is generated in the colon after alcohol administration. Finally, studies in rats found that animals treated with an antibiotic to reduce the number of bacteria in the colon showed a reduced alcohol elimination rate compared with untreated rats (Nosova et al. 1999). If these research findings also apply to humans, alcohol elimination may be delayed in people taking certain antibiotics that are active against colonic bacteria.

Acetaldehyde Metabolism in the Liver

Drinking without eating food at the same time also greatly increases this risk. People with diabetes should be particularly cautious when it comes to drinking alcohol because alcohol can make some of the complications of diabetes worse. First of all, alcohol impacts the liver in doing its job of regulating blood sugar.

That’s true for all drinkers — but it’s especially true if you have diabetes. It is also important to mention that due to the growing popularity of craft beers, the alcohol content of some beers is now higher than 5%. Talk with your doctor if you have questions about ways to prevent dehydration, including how much water you should drink daily. It’s possible for drugs to interact with supplements such as vitamins and herbs. If you’ve had an allergic reaction to Glyxambi or any of its ingredients, your doctor will likely not prescribe Glyxambi.

Some medications are not suitable for use alongside alcohol consumption. People with diabetes should be sure to pay attention to any potential warnings. Normal fasting blood sugar levels should be in the range of 70–100 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dl). People who have untreated diabetes generally have blood sugar levels higher than 126 mg/dl. This is particularly important for people with diabetes to recognize. There are many different types of drugs that can work in different ways to lower your blood glucose (blood sugar).

Remember, hard alcohol by itself has zero carbs and will not raise your blood sugar but still can put you at risk for low blood sugar that can occur hours after hard liquor ingestion. This is why it’s especially important for your friends and family to know the risks of drinking alcohol with diabetes and the signs of low blood sugar. When you’re drinking, your risk of experiencing a low blood sugar is higher based on the combination of your liver pressing pause of releasing stored glucose and your food not being digested as quickly. Alcohol is absorbed directly into the bloodstream from the stomach or the small intestine, and it’s then carried through the body and delivered to the liver. While the liver metabolizes alcohol, it cannot convert stored glycogen into the glucose needed to stabilize blood sugar levels. When you have alcohol, it may take some time to figure out the foods that work best for you.