Exercise and Diabetes Medications

When you exercise, your body needs more energy, which means more use of blood sugar.  In order to get that sugar into your cells where it can be used for energy, your body will increase the amount of insulin in your system.  Normally this isn’t a problem, but for someone taking certain medications for diabetes, this could become dangerous if the blood sugar starts to get too low.  Any type of insulin could cause this, but short acting insulins are more risky in this regard.  There are a few pills than increase insulin secretion in the body, and these can also cause the blood sugar to get low quickly during exercise.  These are medications like Amaryl (glimepiride), Glucotrol (glipizide), and Diabeta (glyburide).  Symptoms of low blood sugar include tremors, shaking, palpitations, nervousness, and nausea.  If you have any of these, stop your exercise, eat or drink some sugar (hard candy, juice, or milk), and talk to your doctor about what you should do to prevent any more episodes.

Remember: before starting an exercise program, talk with your doctor first.