Rapilose Gel 3x25g

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A low blood sugar level, also called hypoglycaemia or a ‘hypo"’ is where the level of sugar (glucose) in your blood drops too low, below 4mmol/l. Rapilose Gel is particularly useful if you areeating less (e.g. trying to lose weight, upsetstomach), or exercising, or in any situationwhere meals are delayed, skipped orforgotten. World Health Organisation. Use of glycated haemoglobin (HbA 1c) in the diagnosis of diabetes mellitus. WHO ref no WHO/NMH/CHP/CPM/11. 1. 2011. Rapilose Gel is available on prescription from healthcare advisers and is also available in hospital pharmacies and many independent chemists. Alternatives for OGTTs include Polycal and Rapilose. Polycal liquid is marketed as ‘Food for special medical purposes' to increase calorie intake. It contains a mixture of polysaccharides, glucose and maltose. It is available in 200 ml servings of which 113 ml are required to obtain 75 g of glucose equivalent. This is made up to 200–300 ml with water. Rapilose OGTT solution is specifically marketed for use in OGTT and comes in a pre-mixed pouch. It contains both glucose syrup and glucose monohydrate providing 75 g of glucose equivalent in 300 ml. Polycal is cheaper than Rapilose but less accurate in providing exactly 75 g glucose because of the difficulties in measuring precisely 113 ml. Conclusions

Rapilose® Gel must never be given to an individual who has become unconscious due to the risk of choking. Even if you are alone when you have a hypo and you become unconscious, your body will slowly respond by naturally increasing blood sugar levels. The second Lucozade variety, Lucozade Sport, was launched in 1990. The carbohydrate source in Lucozade Sport is also glucose, from its main ingredient glucose syrup. LRS has claimed the isotonic carbohydrate-electrolyte drink enhances physical endurance; 5 however, a systematic review found the group of studies behind this claim to be of poor quality and therefore the author was unable to draw firm conclusions about the effect on performance in exercise. 6 Children may need less than 15 to 20g of a slower-acting carbohydrate. Your child's diabetes team will advise on this. Treating severe hypoglycaemia Both Lucozade Energy and Lucozade Sport are available in a range of flavours (many of which contain fructose from concentrated fruit juices in addition to glucose syrup) and meet the brief of a ‘sugary soft drink' for hypoglycaemia treatment. 3 Both Energy and Sport are also available as low-sugar options supplemented with intense sweeteners (on the label as ‘zero calories', ‘low cal' or ‘lite'). Lucozade in oral glucose tolerance tests

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Baldwin EJ, Feher MD. Sweets, fluids and foods in the treatment of mild hypoglycaemia. Pract Diabetes Int 2006; 23( 5): 218– 20. Until the change in glucose content, the volume of Lucozade required for a 75 g OGTT was 410 ml. Since the 2017 changes, this has increased to 950 ml. The criteria for performing OGTT require this to be drunk within 5 minutes. 10 This is an unrealistic volume to expect people to drink over such a short time scale. Alternative treatments for treating hypoglycaemia

After treating a hypo, your blood sugar levels should return to normal after about 15 minutes, but this may vary. In some cases, you might need to repeat your hypo treatment. This is why it is important to closely monitor your blood sugar levels during this time. In the community, patient choice for the treatment of hypoglycaemia is wide including glucose tablets, sweets, fruit, fruit juice, full sugar fizzy or non-fizzy drinks, biscuits, chocolate bars and crisps. 4 For patients in hospital, any of these treatments may be used by the patient self-treating hypoglycaemia. Where patients are not able to self-treat, current NHS guidelines recommend fruit juice, Lucozade, dextrose or glucose tablets or sugar dissolved in water. 3 Where oral treatment is inappropriate, for example in an unconscious patient, hypoglycaemia is treated with intramuscular glucagon or intravenous dextrose. Most hospital wards and departments as well as GP surgeries are encouraged to keep a ‘hypo box' containing treatments for hypoglycaemia for emergency use. 3Wiener K. The oral glucose tolerance test – an assessment of the quality of its performance. Ann Clin Biochem 1987; 24( Pt 5): 440– 6. First launched as Glucozade in 1927, it was marketed for medicinal purposes. 1 The distinctive sweet citrus-flavoured drink underwent significant rebranding in 1983, when the slogan ‘Lucozade aids recovery' was replaced by ‘Lucozade replaces lost energy' to change its association with illness to good health and wellbeing. Lucozade as a treatment for hypoglycaemia National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. Type 1 diabetes in adults: diagnosis and management. NICE Clinical guideline NG17. NICE, August 2015. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. Diabetes (type 1 and type 2) in children and young people: diagnosis and management. NICE Clinical guideline NG18. NICE, August 2015 (last updated: November 2016).

University of Sydney. GI foods advanced search. 2017. Last updated: 2 May 2017. www.glycemicindex.com/foodSearch.php?num=2085&ak=detail. Lucozade Ribena Suntory (LRS) has been reformulating its Lucozade drinks since 2016 to contain 50% less sugar, including their famous Lucozade Energy Original.Hypos can happen if the balance of diabetes medication you take (especially insulin), food you eat and physical activity you do sometimes isn’t right. Not everyone with diabetes will have hypos. After treating a hypo, you may need something to eat or drink to stop your blood sugar levels from dropping again. Try to eat 15 to 20g of a slower-acting carbohydrate. This could be a:

Some people may use a Flash monitor or continuous glucose monitor (CGM) to monitor their levels. This is something you can discuss with your healthcare team. Or it could be your next meal, if it’s due. You will also need to take insulin if this is the case.Each 300ml pouch of Rapilose oral Glucose tolerance test solution indicates contents of approximately 71.5g of carbohydrate,