Does xanax lower blood sugar


Effects of Alprazolam on Glucose Regulation in Diabetes: Results of double-blind, placebo-controlled trial | Diabetes Care

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Original Articles| August 01 1995

Patrick J Lustman, PHD;

Linda S Griffith, MSW;

Ray E Clouse, MD;

Kenneth E Freedland, PHD;

Seth A Eisen, MD;

Eugene H Rubin, MD;

Robert M Carney, MD;

Janet B McGill, MD

Address correspondence and reprint requests to PatrickJ. Lustman, PhD, Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, 4940 Children's PI., St. Louis, MO 63110.

Diabetes Care 1995;18(8):1133–1139

https://doi.org/10.2337/diacare.18.8.1133

Article history

Received:

January 10 1995

Revision Received:

March 30 1995

Accepted:

March 30 1995

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Citation

Patrick J Lustman, Linda S Griffith, Ray E Clouse, Kenneth E Freedland, Seth A Eisen, Eugene H Rubin, Robert M Carney, Janet B McGill; Effects of Alprazolam on Glucose Regulation in Diabetes: Results of double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Diabetes Care 1 August 1995; 18 (8): 1133–1139. https://doi.org/10.2337/diacare.18.8.1133

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OBJECTIVE

To determine the effects of alprazolam on glucose regulation in anxious and nonanxious patients with poor glycemic control and establish whether regulatory benefits are related to anxiolytic effects of the medication.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

Fifty-eight patients with poor glycemic control, 16 (27.6%) of whom had a symptomatic generalized anxiety disorder, were entered into a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, 8-week trial using alprazolam (up to 2 mg/day) as the active agent. Generalized anxiety disorder was determined in accordance with Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders criteria, and anxiety symptoms were measured using the Hopkins Symptom Checklist. Glycated hemoglobin levels were used to determine glucose regulation. Compliance behavior was assessed using glucometers and medication monitors equipped with electronic memory.

RESULTS

A statistically significant reduction in glycated hemoglobin level was observed in patients treated with alprazolam compared with those receiving placebo (−1.1 vs. −0.3%, P = 0.04). This treatment effect was not a function of differences in compliance behaviors. Anxiety symptoms decreased in both alprazolam- and placebo-treated patients with generalized anxiety disorder, but reduction in glycated hemoglobin level was not dependent on alleviation of anxiety.

CONCLUSIONS

A short course of alprazolam improved glucose regulation in patients with a history of poor diabetes control. This effect was not directly related to concomitant changes in anxiety. Alprazolam treatment of anxious patients with poorly controlled diabetes may result in decreased anxiety and improved glucose regulation through independent mechanisms.

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Diabetic Side Effects of Xanax

If you suffer from diabetes, you need to be aware of which drugs may interact with your system in a way that causes your condition to get worse. Although side effects of certain medications such as alprazolam, sold as Xanax in the U.S., may minimally affect people without diabetes, these effects can cause more severe problems for diabetics, affecting your diabetes in indirect ways 3.

Is This an Emergency?

If you are experiencing serious medical symptoms, seek emergency treatment immediately.

Decreased Appetite

As a diabetic, you need to maintain a proper diet as well as engage in exercise and take your medication. Taking the benzodiazepine Xanax, which classifies as a central nervous system depressant, can suppress your appetite. This may mean you do not eat enough food to fulfill your required diet. If you continue to take your medication, this could cause hypoglycemia or low blood sugar. If this becomes severe, it could send you into a coma. So, while a decrease in appetite classifies only as a non-serious side effect of Xanax for most people, it can cause:

  • serious problems for diabetics
  • explains MayoClinic.com
  • which adds that a complete lack of appetite classifies as a serious side effect for anyone taking Xanax
  • requires notifying your physician immediately to get help 2
  • As a diabetic, you need to maintain a proper diet as well as engage in exercise and take your medication.
  • If you continue to take your medication, this could cause hypoglycemia or low blood sugar.

Weight Gain

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Conversely, Xanax may cause your appetite to increase, meaning you may eat more food than you should for your diabetic diet. Gaining weight can cause an imbalance in the glucose you ingest through food and the insulin produced by your pancreas. Taking medications that increase insulin production may not be able to compensate for the surge in food coming into your system. Increased appetite and gaining weight both normally classify as non-serious side effects, but they can cause hyperglycemia or high blood sugar levels in diabetics.

  • Conversely, Xanax may cause your appetite to increase, meaning you may eat more food than you should for your diabetic diet.

Amnesia

As a sedative and treatment for anxiety and panic disorders, Xanax may produce amnesia or forgetfulness as a serious common side effect. This can cause problems for anyone who takes the drug, but it can add an extra problem for diabetics. If you cannot remember, you may not check your blood sugar levels regularly and you may forget to take your diabetes medications. Combined, these two problems can cause your blood glucose levels to drop, spike or fluctuate, any of which may cause serious health problems. Report any loss of memory to your physician. If the forgetfulness occurs in severe form, your friends or family members may need to get you to the doctor for help.

  • As a sedative and treatment for anxiety and panic disorders, Xanax may produce amnesia or forgetfulness as a serious common side effect.
  • This can cause problems for anyone who takes the drug, but it can add an extra problem for diabetics.

7 unexpected things that can help you calm down / Sudo Null IT News

In this article, Stephanie Vozza, will tell you how eating chocolate and enjoying the aroma of grapefruit, you can stop worrying about what you can not change .

What keeps you awake at night? Economy? Disagreements in the government? Work? Healthcare? Ebola virus?
According to an October 2014 Gallup poll, Americans worry about many things. But most of them are uncontrollable, and the excitement only exacerbates the situation. nine0007

According to a study by the University of Surrey in the United Kingdom, anxiety can have long-term chronic health effects such as cardiovascular disease.

How can we stop being nervous? While exercise is usually prescribed to reduce anxiety levels, which is actually better than taking Xanax (the commercial name for the sedative Alprazolam) because exercise triggers the release of feel-good hormones, you still don't have to sweat to calm your anxiety. nine0007

Here are seven alternative steps you can take to take your mind off your problems:

1. Change your bedtime

Anyone who likes to stay up late should know that in this way inner restlessness is increased. Researchers at Binghamton University in New York found that people who stay up very late and get little sleep are more likely to have negative thoughts than those who follow a healthy sleep pattern. The one who lacks sleep tends to worry about the future, to relive the events of the past again and again. Such people are prone to anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. nine0007

“Healthy, restful sleep at the right time is an inexpensive and easy way for people who suffer from obsessive thoughts to influence their condition,” says one of the researchers, Jacob Nota. (We recommend reading a helpful article on how many hours we should sleep.)

2. Smell the grapefruit

Inhaling certain aromas reduces stress. As part of a study at the James Cancer Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, scientists tested the effects of scented essential oils by placing containers of oils in a central medical room. Oncology nurses, who often suffer from work-related stress, compassion fatigue, and burnout, reported significant improvement in their condition, reduced tension, and anxiety. nine0007

One of the essential oils tested during the study was grapefruit. This scent is refreshing and revitalizing, and also helps to increase the feeling of energy in the body and happiness.

3. Breathe slowly

Deep breathing, also known as yoga breathing, is known to reduce tension and anxiety. In his book Spontaneous Happiness: A New Path to Emotional Well-Being (Little, Brown & Company; 2013) (Spontaneous Happiness. A New Path to Emotional Well-Being (Little, Brown & Company, 2013)), Andrew Weil suggests that as a tool and to combat bad moods, use a technique he calls "4-7-8 breathing." nine0007

First, exhale completely through your mouth, then inhale through your nose for a count of four. Hold your breath for seven seconds, then exhale through your mouth for a count of eight. It's not possible to breathe deeply and worry, Vail says. He recommends using the 4-7-8 breathing method at least twice a day or whenever tension is felt.

4. Eat chocolate

While candy can significantly increase blood sugar levels and be detrimental to health, researchers have found that a little dark chocolate can help reduce anxiety. According to a study published in the Journal of Proteome Research, dark chocolate can help calm nerves. Participants who ate one and a half ounces of dark chocolate a day for two weeks lowered their stress hormone levels. (Recommended to read a helpful article on how to maximize energy from caffeine. )

5. Take forest therapy

Walking in the woods and enjoying the sounds of nature can relieve stress. The term shinrin-yoku (Shinrin-yoku) in translation from Japanese means "to absorb the atmosphere of the forest", "to take a forest bath". This practice helps relieve stress much more effectively than walking in an urban area.

"Studies have confirmed that spending time in the woods can reduce psychological stress, depressive symptoms and hostility, while at the same time improving sleep, increasing activity and feeling full of life," write Eva Selhoub and Alan Logan in their book Your Brain on Nature (Collins; 2013) ("Your Brain in Nature" (Collins; 2013)). "Japanese researchers have found that 20 minutes of shinrin-yoku practice, compared to 20 minutes spent in an urban environment, changes brain blood flow in a manner similar to relaxation." nine0007

6. Describe your worries on paper

Decreasing your emotions with paper seems unthinkable, and it seems like it escalates passions even more, but according to a study from the University of Chicago published in the journal Science, fixing your thoughts and emotions on paper can help you cope with them. The students participating in this study were asked to write about their fears before the exam, in order to test their level of anxiety. Those who agreed to the experiment increased their exam scores by nearly one point. nine0007

"Perhaps it's a paradox, but the effect of the process of putting thoughts and emotions on paper can be compared to freeing the mind from fears," says Si'an Beilock, assistant professor of psychology at the University of Chicago, USA. “You seem to re-evaluate the situation, and it worries you less, because it has already been experienced and comprehended.”

7. Start knitting

By occupying your hands with something, you are automatically distracted from disturbing thoughts. As part of a study conducted at the Medical Research Council in Cambridge, England, volunteers watched video footage of car crashes. Participants who were asked to type on the keyboard while watching the clips experienced less memory loss. However, verbal distractions, such as counting out loud, had no effect. nine0007

Researchers have found that occupying your hands interferes with the process of saving and encoding visual images. This explains why beading or knitting soothes us.

P.S. We recommend another article on the topic - How successful people deal with their toxic opponents.

Translated by Vyacheslav Davidenko, founder of MBA Consult

How to cope with burnout and strengthen immunity: 10 tips for covid winter

To stay healthy this winter, in the midst of the coronavirus epidemic, it is not enough just to follow the advice we hear every year. Doctors recommend staying at home to prevent a spike in cases, so extra effort will have to be made to physically and mentally cope with the colder and darker days ahead. Here are 10 tips from Parsley Health Founder Dr. Robin Berzin

“Now is the time to take a functional and holistic approach to taking care of your own health,” says Dr. Robin Berzin, founder and CEO of holistic healthcare startup Parsley Health and alumnus of the College of Surgery and General Medicine named after Vagelos. The serial healthcare entrepreneur and mother of two created a medical technology platform and focused on an approach in medicine where the whole body is assessed and treated at once. nine0007

Finished reading here

Parsley Health

“We look at the body in a completely different way,” says Dr. Berzin. “For example, when I look at my stomach, I think about energy, mood, anxiety, and sleep patterns. Most doctors don't look at you that way because the healthcare system is very fragmented. Even at top schools, we lose sight of the big picture.”

Dr. Berzin believes that if we take into account the importance of lifestyle, we can not only stop or prevent the disease, but also strengthen the immune system, making the body a real armor. Amid ongoing social isolation and unrest, she shares detailed recommendations for staying healthy in the winter (all backed by science). Tips help to cope with two tasks: strengthen immunity and prevent burnout and stress, not only in winter, but also in the future. nine0007

Shift your sleep schedule an hour earlier

“One of the main reasons why people toss and turn and not feel rested in the morning is because they stay up too late,” says Dr. Berzin.

Lack of sleep accelerates the accumulation of toxic metabolic waste products in the brain and creates tension in the body. An increase in cortisol levels leads to unpleasant symptoms such as increased appetite, weight gain and fatigue, and also depresses the immune system. From an immune standpoint, sleeping less than 7-8 hours reduces the production of immune-protective cytokines (proteins your immune system generates to fight disease). nine0007 Getty Images

“Winter is the best time to get into the habit of going to bed early. By going to bed early, you can avoid the evening cortisol spike. Some call it "second wind," but it actually disrupts the sleep cycle. I know that when I go to bed at 10:00 pm instead of 11:00 pm, I sleep better and feel more rested in the morning. This is especially true for a mother whose children wake up early.”

According to Berzin, the best time to sleep is between 10:00 pm and 6:00 am each day, as this is in line with the natural circadian rhythm and normal sunrise and sunset schedule. nine0007

A year of self-care: one habit a month on the path to health and happiness

Add magnesium to your diet

Deficiency of this mineral is the most common. However, magnesium is extremely important because it supports the production of Y-shaped proteins that our immune system generates to fight harmful bacteria and viruses. In terms of burnout/stress, magnesium helps to calm the nervous system, gently lower blood pressure, and quickly relax the smooth muscles of the entire body. nine0007

“I often joke that magnesium is the natural Xanax,” says Dr. Berzin. — I take it regularly and recommend it to my patients when they have problems with sleep or anxiety. It is non-addictive and you can take 200-400mg before bed. This is especially helpful for pregnant women who cannot take other sleeping pills."

Learn a simple breathing exercise to keep you calm, focused and energized.

Meditation isn't just for yogis. In terms of immunity, many studies have shown that meditation improves antibody production. nine0007

Mindfulness practices have been shown to reduce the activity of genes associated with inflammation and even reduce the molecular damage caused by stress/burnout. In particular, deep belly breathing during meditation stimulates the vagus nerve and activates the “rest and digest” part of our nervous system, which lowers the heart rate and reduces anxiety.

“I used to teach yoga and meditation,” says Dr. Berzin. “Meditation is one of the ways that helps me cope with the duties of a mother and build a venture startup.” Her favorite breathing exercise is to inhale for five seconds, exhale for seven, which stimulates the recovery of the nervous system. It's incredibly efficient. nine0007 Getty Images

Berzin says, "Meditation is not the easiest solution, but over time, if you regularly turn off your body's response to stress, it can boost your immune system and slow down burnout. "

Do not drink alcohol more than three days a week

During the pandemic, doctors noticed an increase in alcohol consumption among patients due to stress, anxiety and blurring of the boundaries between weekdays and weekends, which has not happened before. But besides being addictive, alcohol acts as a depressant and impairs the quality of sleep. "I've found that most people benefit most from having 3-4 nights a week completely alcohol-free," she says. “It can make a difference in whether you have a clear head or a clouded mind.” nine0007

If you do drink, choose higher-quality, less-sweet varieties of alcohol such as tequila, mezcal, or vodka with seltzer and a slice of lemon, and stay away from beer and sugary cocktails. “When I want to have fun, I usually prefer a glass of native wine or a margarita with mezcal, which keeps alcohol in a small, balanced place in my life, it doesn’t play a big role,” says Berzin.

Take vitamin D3 + K2

If you spend most of your day indoors, as many of us do these days, you may be deficient in vitamin D (as in 42% of the US population), which is necessary to effectively activate our immune defenses. Berzin explains that vitamin D3 + K2 is the best complex for vitamin D absorption and activation.

When combined with vitamin K2, vitamin D3 provides the best protection against infections, osteoporosis, dementia and type 2 diabetes. Most people are deficient in this vitamin, and new research shows that vitamin D3 plays a critical role in our defense against COVID-19.. Research shows that supplementing with as little as 1,000 IU of vitamin D per day can improve mood swings, fatigue, joint pain, muscle spasms, depression, and anxiety.

Dr. Berzin says: “I take 5000 units a day and give at least 1000 units to my older child every day and to my younger one every other day. This is especially important for pregnant moms, as studies show that while babies are in the womb, vitamin deficiency can affect their bone and dental health.” nine0007

Exercise is a natural antidote for seasonal affective disorder (SAD)

SAD is common in northern climates and during the winter months. Dr. Berzin recommends combating it with regular exercise. It improves immune regulation and psychological well-being, helping the brain cope with stress.

“For some of my patients, SAD is extremely devastating. For others, it flows gently, but tangibly, says Berzin. "It's not always manageable with exercise, but it can play a role in how hard the winter is for you. " nine0007

Try to find time each week for at least 150 minutes of aerobic exercise at a moderate pace, or 75 minutes at a strenuous pace, or a combination of the two activities. Weight training and resistance training are also very important.

Psychotherapy for immunity: how to help the body if chronic quarantine stress affects your health However, we are much more likely to consume omega-6 fatty acids, which can lead to inflammation, because the typical American diet is high in oils that increase the risk of inflammation and oxidized fats from processed and processed foods. nine0007

“We make our own baby food and sometimes even formula for our youngest,” says the mother of two. “It’s a blend of wild salmon, winter squash, Brussels sprouts, apples, and extra virgin olive oil—all the best sources of omega-3s. It's cheaper and healthier than prepared food. I even put olive oil or fish oil in my children's bottles."

Getty Images

She explains the scientific basis for eating the right fats: the ratio between omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids in your diet is even more significant than their amount. The optimal ratio is 4 to 1: ideally, there should be four times as much omega-3 fatty acids in order to neutralize the inflammatory properties of omega-6. nine0007

Replace foods rich in omega-6s (processed foods and industrial vegetable oils such as corn, soybean, hemp, and sunflower) with foods rich in anti-inflammatory omega-3s (walnuts, chia seeds, wild salmon, sardines, anchovies, eggs from free chickens and flax seeds).

Feed Your Good Bacteria

Add probiotics and prebiotics to your diet to support healthy microflora, your gastrointestinal ecosystem that helps regulate your immune system. 40 trillion microbes live here, the vast majority of which are vital to good health. nine0007

According to Berzin, everything that lives and dies in the stomach is directly related to what you eat every day. Whole vegetables, unprocessed foods, and fiber feed the most beneficial bacteria in your stomach, which boosts your immune system and even lifts your spirits.

In terms of immunity, people with a more diverse stomach microflora are less at risk for many diseases, including asthma, obesity, depression and diabetes.

In terms of burnout/stress, research has confirmed that probiotics can speed up or slow down the synthesis of certain neurotransmitters and other biologically active factors such as serotonin, brain-derived neurotrophic factor and cortisol, which can help reduce stress, anxiety and depression. nine0007

The best option is to eat more fermented foods and prebiotics (that's what your microbes eat). Fermented foods include kimchi, kombucha, sauerkraut, yogurt, and prebiotic fiber foods like garlic, onions, green onions, artichokes, and asparagus.

Water torture is abolished: eight glasses a day and other myths about water consumption

Eliminate refined sugar and carbohydrates from your diet

Excessive consumption of sugar can reduce the number of white blood cells, which play a protective role in the immune system. This makes you more vulnerable to disease and infection. Plus, too much processed sugar can overfeed the "bad" bacteria in your stomach.

In terms of burnout/stress, your body absorbs simple sugars quickly, which raises your blood sugar and gives you a short-term energy boost. However, this "sugar high" does not last long, and is followed by a sharp drop in energy levels, which is often accompanied by irritability, sadness, or clouded consciousness. nine0007

“The goal is not to limit yourself,” says Berzin. “The goal is for you to get your daily carbs and sugars from whole foods like fresh fruits, starchy vegetables, and whole grains, not from processed foods like bagels, pizzas, cookies, and fast food bars.” Looking for a healthy detox diet? Give up processed sugar for five days.

Communicate with people with care

In these times, it is essential to find ways to maintain social contact while remaining physically safe. Communication through the screen is exhausting, and later leads to alienation. Now is the time to go for walks with friends while maintaining social distancing, find opportunities to exercise outside and meet on verandas to talk without removing your masks.


Learn more