Health | 4 Min Read

Unexpected Blood Sugar Levels?
This Might Be the Hidden Cause

Written by:

Susan Sloane

Diabetes Care and Education Specialist

Having trouble keeping blood glucose within desired range?

The cause might not be what many insulin users suspect.

We interviewed Dr. Diana Isaacs, 2020 ADCES Diabetes Care & Education Specialist of the Year, to learn more.

Dr. Diana Isaacs

2020 ADCES Diabetes Care & Education Specialist of the Year

It turns out, there's a chance it's not diet, not exercise, not lack of sleep, and not stress that's causing blood sugar to go out of control.

The cause may be taking insulin with unexpectedly low potency.

Insulin is incredibly sensitive and loses potency through temperature changes and Day Night temperature fluctuations, exposure to light, and more.

In today's busy day-to-day where we're always on the go, it's hard to imagine a world where insulin is not subjected to damage, even if just a little here and there. To make matters worse, there's no way to tell insulin has lost potency by looking at it.

Did you know?

The FDA allows up to 5% of insulin potency to be lost, even with perfect storage?

So you can imagine with less than perfect storage, how much potency can be lost.

Imagine this scenario:

For a person that's dosing 20 units, if their insulin lost 20% potency through day-to-day storage, plus the 5% of potency lost even in perfect storage (per FDA allowance), that means only 15 units would be active.

Did You Know?

Temperature fluctuations can silently weaken insulin, leading to increased bloodsugar and symptoms like headaches, fatigue, increased thirst, frequent urination, and blurred vision.

So what does that mean when a person goes to inject their insulin?

If they need and expect 20 units, through day-to-day loss of potency, they are now only getting 15 active units.

That's going to really affect their glucose levels.

Imagine they then increase their dose to more units, thinking they need more. Taking an unexpectedly higher dose will throw them into hypoglycemia.

In short, lower potency insulin may be the hidden culprit to unexplained blood sugar levels for many.

Susan Sloane

A Registered Pharmacist for more than 29 years and a Diabetes Educator for most of her career.

There's so much for an insulin user to keep track of, the last thing they would expect is their insulin being the cause of their issues. I see many insulin users feeling guilty of being 'bad diabetes patients' when their glucose is out of control. In reality, the cause isn't even on their radar.

The Good News Is, There's a Solution for It.

Israeli company TempraMed has invented a new device that keeps insulin at a safe temperature 100% of the time, regardless if it's in the heat or cold.

The patented and FDA-registered device uses the same material used in space crafts and cryotherapy to keep insulin at the recommended safe temperature day after day.

It’s small, lightweight, and will conveniently fit into your pockets, bags, and purses.