What is Glucagon Emergency Kit?
(See the Original Document here)
Glucagon Emergency Kit is a prescription medicine. It treats diabetic patients with very low blood sugar (severe hypoglycemia). Glucagon injection is an emergency antihyperglycemic medication and gastrointestinal motility inhibitor used to treat severe hypoglycemia in diabetic patients of all ages, as well as as a diagnostic tool to temporarily stop gastrointestinal motility in adult patients undergoing radiologic examinations.
What are the signs of Hypoglycemia?
Early Symptoms include sweating, restlessness, drowsiness, depressed mood, dizziness, tingling in the hands, feet, lips, or tongue, sleep disturbances, irritability, irregular heartbeat (palpitation), abnormal behavior, anxiety, lightheadedness, tremor, unsteady movement, blurred vision, inability to concentrate, hunger, personality changes, slurred speech and headache.
If hypoglycemia is not treated early, it may turn into severe hypoglycemia.
Signs of severe hypoglycemia are confusion, unconsciousness, seizures, and death.
- Show your family members and others where you keep your Glucagon Emergency Kit for Low Blood Sugar and how to use it correctly.
- Call for emergency medical help right after you use Glucagon.
- Do not share your Glucagon syringes or needles with another person. You may give others a severe infection or get a serious infection from you.
- The prefilled syringe with your Glucagon Emergency Kit for Low Blood Sugar is used with Glucagon only. Do not use Glucagon syringes to inject other medicines.
How to store Glucagon Emergency Kit?
Store Glucagon in a dry and clean area away from light
- Maintain room temperature between 68° to 77°F (20° to 25°C).
- Review the expiration date on your vial of Glucagon.
- Never freeze Glucagon.
- Keep Glucagon out of light.
What is contained in the Glucagon Emergency Kit?
- 1 vial that contains 1 mg of Glucagon for injection.
- 1 prefilled glass syringe with an attached needle that contains 1 mL of Sterile Water for Injection.
- Throw away any unused Glucagon.
- Glucagon, when mixed with water, is clear and colorless. Do not use Glucagon if it is milky or if you see particles in the solution.
What are Precautions in using Glucagon Emergency Kit?
Do not use Glucagon if the patient has the following:
- A tumor in the gland on top of your kidneys (adrenal gland), called as pheochromocytoma.
- A tumor in the pancreas, called insulinoma.
- Are allergic to Glucagon or lactose or its ingredients.
Tell your doctor if you:
- have kidney problems.
- have pancreas problems.
- have not had food or water for a long time (prolonged fasting or starvation).
- have chronic low blood sugar that does not go away (chronic hypoglycemia).
- Have heart problems.
- Are you pregnant or plan to become pregnant?
- Are you breastfeeding or planning to breastfeed?
- Taking vitamins and herbal supplements.
Glucagon side effects
- High blood pressure.
- Low blood sugar.
- For severe allergic reactions, call your doctor
- or get medical help right away for rash, difficulty breathing, or low blood pressure.
The most common side effects of Glucagon include the following:
- swelling at the injection site
- redness at the injection site
- vomiting
- nausea
- decreased blood pressure
- weakness
- headache
- dizziness
- pale skin
- diarrhea
- sleepiness or drowsiness
Remember that regular physical exercise is crucial to treating diabetes or managing prediabetes, along with your diet planning, weight management, and medications. Because your cells become more responsive to insulin while you are active, your blood glucose, also known as blood sugar, can be lowered more successfully. Take your medications regularly and follow up with your healthcare specialist.
