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Diabetes Q&A | Insulin | How dangerous is it to not take prescri
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The Question

09/25/09 01:40 PM

"How dangerous is it to not take prescribed insulin? "
Asked By: wellingtonsa  
Category: Insulin

Background Info Hide
I just spoke with a 38 yr old African American male with diabetes (I didn't ask what kind). He has weaned himself off insulin (I'm not sure why - possibly for financial reasons) and is proposing to fast for a week to lose weight and in the hopes that he will feel so weak that he will be able to sleep better! He weighs about 245 - down from 285. He has trouble processing information. I was only able to tell him I thought it would be dangerous to fast and he needed to get advice, and then someone else came in and we couldn't talk further. I am worried and need to know what to tell him. He takes meds for blood pressure, cholestrol, pain, etc.

Expert Answers (1)

09/28/09 07:01 PM

Hello wellingtonsa-
I cannot stress more strongly that this could be a life or death decision. Insulin is a life SAVING medication. Insulin is not a casual med, maybe I need it, maybe not. This behavior is not based on good information.

I am concerned that this man may be in denial about his diabetes. He may need some behavior or mental health support to come to terms with this disease. There are circumstances that a client may be able to control his glucose levels and go from insulin when first diagnosed, to oral meds, to diet controlled. This can only safely happen under a doctor's care with frequent monitoring of glucose and other laboratory measures. Your additional information regarding fasting to become weak enough to sleep just is not based in reality. He needs good support from his medical team and from his support group (you) to make safer decisions. Try to get him to look at dLife forums and blogs. And of course, the experts here would certainly try to provide more evidenced based ways to improve his glucemic control and lose weight.

Answered By: Rita Juray
Accreditations: RN, MLT-ASCP, CCM, CDE
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Community Answers (1)

09/27/09 06:10 PM

Well only he and God knows how high his bs is. If his bs is high which I would think it is he is playing Russian Roulette. Thing is depending on what else is going on and if he is eating low carb he might just might be able to lower his bs. If he lost that weight recently and went off the insulin most likely he is losing body and muscle which could be very dangerous. If he is not testing and ignoring the damage that can and will happen is an unknown at this time, but wat he is doing is very dangerous and he could go into a coma if he isnt careful.
Answered By: furball64801
FLAG
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