Good diabetes management is the most effective way to prevent hypoglycemia. Patients should follow their physician- recommended schedule of diet, exercise and insulin or other diabetes medication (antidiabetic agents).

People with diabetes should try to determine what triggers their low blood glucose so they can report this to their physician, who will then adjust their diabetes management plan so as to maintain blood glucose in the target range. Keeping a record can help diabetes patients and their physicians spot patterns and anticipate potential problems. Despite these efforts, low blood glucose can still occur.

Steps to prevent hypoglycemia include:

• Taking the physician-recommended dosage of insulin or other diabetes medication. If a patient frequently experiences low blood glucose, the medication dosage may be too high and the physician may decide to adjust it.
  
  
• Balancing exercise with food intake and medication dosage. Exercising harder or longer than usual can result in low blood glucose. Patients can compensate for the extra activity with less medicine or more food.
  
  
• Balancing food intake with medication. Eating too little food for the amount of medication taken can result in low blood glucose.
  
  
• Eating at physician-recommended times. Patients should avoid delaying or skipping a meal or snack. Meals are planned around insulin peaks, and the insulin processes the glucose from food for energy. The body must have food in it for the insulin to process glucose.
  
  
• Eating enough carbohydrates. The majority of glucose in the blood after a meal comes from the carbohydrates in food. The more carbohydrates a person eats, the more glucose is in the blood.
  
  
• Drinking a limited amount of alcohol and only on a full stomach. Consuming alcohol, however, is not safe for everyone. Alcohol can promote the onset of serious diabetic complications or make existing complications worse. Patients should discuss the risks of drinking alcohol with their physician.
  
  
• Talking to a physician or pharmacist about nondiabetes medication. Certain medications can lower blood glucose and cause hypoglycemia unawareness, a condition in which the normal symptoms of low glucose are not felt or noticed.