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What Causes Sweet Cravings After A Meal, Drowsiness And Fatigue After Eating Sweet?
Question: I am prediabetic, and obese (225 lbs 5'11 male). I notice that after a meal I crave carbohydrates like cakes and cookies. If I have 'will power' and avoid sweets I start to feel light-headed. If I eat sweets, I feel sleepy and tired and crave more sweets after an hour. The only time I feel normal is when I wake up in the morning, when I have no cravings and no hunger. I'm confused what I should do to feel better.
Brief Answer:
Low glucose
Detailed Answer:
Speak with your doctor to explore the possibility of 'reactive' or 'spontaneous' hypoglycemia ie low blood glucose.
Although it may seem contradictory to you that I am suggesting the probability of low sugar episodes when you are actually pre diabetic, the fact is that these conditions can occur even in people with pre diabetes.
They have complex scientific reasons to occur but if I were to oversimplify it then essentially blood glucoses drop below 70 and symptoms include hunger cravings.
So it is important to have your blood glucose checked at the time of symptoms. You could do this even with a glucose monitor at home to start with.
Moreover,when I see someone like you in my practice, I typically order the following blood tests in addition to a detailed physical examination:
CBC (Complete Blood Count, also known as Hemogram; includes Hemoglobin, WBC and Platelet counts)
Electrolytes (Sodium and Potassium in particular)
HbA1c (Glycosylated Hemoglobin = your 3 month glucose average)
Liver function tests (SGOT , SGPT, Albumin, Bilirubin, Alkaline Phosphatase)
Kidney function tests (BUN, Creatinine)
TSH
Free T4
25 hydroxy Vitamin D
None of these tests require any fasting and can be done at any time of the day
Low glucose
Detailed Answer:
Speak with your doctor to explore the possibility of 'reactive' or 'spontaneous' hypoglycemia ie low blood glucose.
Although it may seem contradictory to you that I am suggesting the probability of low sugar episodes when you are actually pre diabetic, the fact is that these conditions can occur even in people with pre diabetes.
They have complex scientific reasons to occur but if I were to oversimplify it then essentially blood glucoses drop below 70 and symptoms include hunger cravings.
So it is important to have your blood glucose checked at the time of symptoms. You could do this even with a glucose monitor at home to start with.
Moreover,when I see someone like you in my practice, I typically order the following blood tests in addition to a detailed physical examination:
CBC (Complete Blood Count, also known as Hemogram; includes Hemoglobin, WBC and Platelet counts)
Electrolytes (Sodium and Potassium in particular)
HbA1c (Glycosylated Hemoglobin = your 3 month glucose average)
Liver function tests (SGOT , SGPT, Albumin, Bilirubin, Alkaline Phosphatase)
Kidney function tests (BUN, Creatinine)
TSH
Free T4
25 hydroxy Vitamin D
None of these tests require any fasting and can be done at any time of the day
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Assuming that is what is happening, what would possible treatments or cures be?
Brief Answer:
Follow up
Detailed Answer:
There are ways to modify eating patterns in reactive spontaneous hypoglycemia. If this does not help then there is a medication called acarbose which can be beneficial
Spontaneous hypoglycemia requires further testing to determine the cause, such as a CT scan of the pancreas.
Follow up
Detailed Answer:
There are ways to modify eating patterns in reactive spontaneous hypoglycemia. If this does not help then there is a medication called acarbose which can be beneficial
Spontaneous hypoglycemia requires further testing to determine the cause, such as a CT scan of the pancreas.
Note: For further follow-up, discuss your blood glucose reports with our diabetologist. Click here.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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