Fresenius Kabi Logo - Caring for Life
Don't Let The Low Sneak Up

For patients with diabetes, blood sugar can drop very low without warning.

It can happen anytime, anywhere. Don’t let a hypoglycemic episode sneak up on you — be ready to act quickly. You can be prepared and act with confidence when you have a rescue plan that includes a prescription emergency solution like the Glucagon Emergency Kit. Don’t let the low sneak up.

Here are some steps to help you prepare:

Be Ready - Be Prepared
TOOLS & RESOURCES

Be Ready

  • Know symptoms of hypoglycemia
  • Talk to your doctor or pharmacist about your options.
  • Create a plan that includes a prescription emergency solution.
  • Keep the Glucagon Emergency Kit with you at all times. It contains glucagon for injection; glucagon triggers the liver to release stored sugar, which raises blood sugar in the event of a severe hypoglycemic episode.
  • Ask your healthcare provider for multiple prescriptions of Glucagon Emergency Kit — one for home and one for on-the-go.

Be Prepared

  • Learn how to use the Glucagon Emergency Kit.
  • Read and understand the Instructions for Use before an episode occurs.
  • Check the expiration date. Do not use expired glucagon.
  • Practice giving the injection.
  • Teach your family, friends, and coworkers how to use the Glucagon Emergency Kit. Show them where you keep it.
Be In The Know - Glucagon

Be in the Know

Hypoglycemia, also called low blood glucose or low blood sugar, occurs when the level of glucose in your blood drops below normal. For many people with diabetes, that means a level of 70 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) or less. Your numbers might be different, so check with your healthcare provider to find out what level is too low for you.

Symptoms of hypoglycemia tend to come on quickly and can vary from person to person. You may have one or more mild-to-moderate symptoms listed in the table below. Sometimes people don’t feel any symptoms.
 
Severe hypoglycemia is when your blood glucose level becomes so low that you’re unable to treat yourself and need help from another person. Severe hypoglycemia is dangerous and needs to be treated right away. This condition is more common in people with type 1 diabetes.
 
Mild-to-Moderate Symptoms Include:
  • Shaky or Jittery
  • Sweaty
  • Hungry
  • Headache
  • Blurred Vision
  • Sleepy or Tired
  • Dizzy or Lightheaded
  • Confused or Disoriented
  • Pale
  • Uncoordinated
  • Irritable or Nervous
  • Argumentative or Combative
  • Changed Behavior or Personality
  • • Trouble Concentrating
  • Weak
  • Fast or Irregular Heartbeat
Severe Symptoms Include:
  • Unable to Eat or Drink
  • Seizures or Convulsions (Jerky Movements)
  • Unconsciousness

Hypoglycemia can be a side effect of insulin or other types of diabetes medicines that help your body make more insulin. Other diabetes medicines may not cause hypoglycemia by themselves but can increase the chances of hypoglycemia if taken with medicines that help the body make more insulin. Ask your healthcare team if your diabetes medicine can cause hypoglycemia.

If you take insulin or diabetes medicines that increase the amount of insulin your body makes—but don’t match your medications with your food or physical activity—you could develop hypoglycemia. The following factors can make hypoglycemia more likely:
  • Not eating enough carbohydrates (carbs)
  • Skipping or delaying a meal
  • Increasing physical activity
  • Drinking too much alcohol without enough food
  • Being sick

Tips for Caregivers

  • Learn how to use the Glucagon Emergency Kit
  • Know where the kit is kept.
  • If the person you are caring for shows signs of very low blood sugar, use the Glucagon Emergency Kit immediately. After administration, call for emergency medical attention.

Reference: https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/diabetes/overview/preventing-problems/low-blood-glucose-hypoglycemia

The Glucagon Emergency Kit is convenient and simple to use. The bright orange case makes it easy for you, or your caregiver, to find it and act quickly. Be prepared with one kit for home use, and one kit for on-the-go.

LEARN MORE
Glucagon Injection Kit

Important Safety Information


Indication and Usage
Glucagon is a prescription medicine used to treat very low blood sugar (severe hypoglycemia) in people with diabetes.

Do not use Glucagon if:

  • you have a tumor in the gland on top of your kidneys (adrenal gland) called a pheochromocytoma.
  • you have a tumor in your pancreas called an insulinoma.
  • you are allergic to glucagon or lactose or any of the ingredients in Glucagon.

Before using Glucagon, tell your doctor about all of your medical conditions, including if you:

  • have kidney problems
  • have pancreas problems.
  • have not had food or water for a long time (prolonged fasting or starvation).
  • have low blood sugar that does not go away (chronic hypoglycemia).
  • have heart problems.
  • are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if Glucagon will harm your unborn baby.
  • are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. It is not known if Glucagon passes into your breast milk.

Tell your doctor about all the medicines you take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins and herbal supplements. Glucagon may affect the way other medicines work, and other medicines may affect how Glucagon works. Know the medicines you take. Keep a list of them to show your doctor and pharmacist when you get a new medicine.

When using Glucagon, you should:

  • Read the detailed Instructions for Use that come with Glucagon.
  • Use Glucagon exactly as your doctor tells you to.
  • Make sure that you and your family know how to use Glucagon the right way before you need it.
  • Act quickly. Having very low blood sugar for a period of time may be harmful.
  • Call for emergency medical help right after you use Glucagon.
  • If the person does not respond after 15 minutes, another dose may be given, if available.
  • Eat sugar or a sugar sweetened product such as a regular soft drink or fruit juice as soon as you are able to swallow.
  • Tell your doctor each time you use Glucagon. Your doctor may need to change the dose of your diabetes medicines.

Glucagon may cause serious side effects, including:

  • High blood pressure. Glucagon can cause high blood pressure in certain people with tumors in their adrenal glands.
  • Low blood sugar. Glucagon can cause low blood sugar in patients with tumors in their pancreas called insulinomas and Glucagonomas by making too much insulin in their bodies.
  • Serious allergic reactions. Call your doctor or get medical help right away if you have a serious allergic reaction including: rash, difficulty breathing, or low blood pressure.

The most common side effects of Glucagon include:

  • swelling at the injection site
  • redness at the injection site
  • vomiting
  • nausea
  • decreased blood pressure
  • weakness
  • headache
  • dizziness
  • pale skin
  • diarrhea
  • sleepiness or drowsiness

Tell your doctor if you have any side effect that bothers you or that does not go away. These are not all the possible side effects of Glucagon. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at www.fda.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088.

This Important Safety Information does not include all the information needed to use Glucagon for Injection safely and effectively. To learn more about Glucagon for Injection, talk to your doctor or pharmacist. Please see the full prescribing information for Glucagon for Injection and Patient Information. The full prescribing information is also available at www.fresenius-kabi.com/us.

©2024 Fresenius Kabi USA, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Fresenius Kabi USA    Terms of Use    Privacy Notice

Fresenius Kabi Logo - Caring for Life