Treatment for hypoglycaemia
Treat hypoglycaemia following sulfonylurea poisoning with glucose. If the patient is awake, give oral glucose (eg glucose paste or drinks) and encourage the patient to eat food, preferably complex carbohydrates.
If the patient is drowsy or unconscious, give an intravenous bolus injection of glucose, aiming for a blood glucose concentration of 4 to 8 mmol/L (see Key investigations for information on frequency of blood glucose concentration monitoring).
For adults, use:
1 glucose 50% 50 mL intravenously, by slow injection, via a large peripheral vein sulfonylurea poisoning
OR
1 glucose 10% 250 mL intravenously, by slow injection, via a large peripheral vein.
For children, use:
glucose 10% 2.5 mL/kg intravenously, by slow injection, via a large peripheral vein.
After initial glucose therapy for hypoglycaemia, treat all patients with the antidote octreotide.