# Glucagon Noob—but up for a good experiment **URL:** \ **Category:** Type 1 & LADA\ **Created:** [October 13, 2019, 4:11pm UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/glucagon-noob-but-up-for-a-good-experiment/8501 "2019-10-13T16:11:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Nickyghaleb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Nickyghaleb](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/Nickyghaleb)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2019, 4:11pm UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/glucagon-noob-but-up-for-a-good-experiment/8501/1 "2019-10-13T16:11:24Z")
I’ve just not had the _full diabetic experience_ until I’ve tried Glucagon, so I’m gearing up to give it a go. I _know_ there’s good stuff all over FUD about ways to use it, but I figured I’d try for the easy (and lazy) solution and just put the question out in a new post. If I were to want to try it, just to see what it does to my blood sugar, what would be a good beginner’s strategy? And if anyone else _also_ wants to make use of an easy solution and point me to a good thread, that would be much appreciated. Hope everyone’s having a splendid Sunday. 🍂🌻🍁 ---
**Author:** ![Eric](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forum.fudiabetes.org/eric/32/9209_2.png) [@Eric](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/Eric)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2019, 5:36pm UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/glucagon-noob-but-up-for-a-good-experiment/8501/2 "2019-10-13T17:36:33Z")
> [@Nickyghaleb](#): > > If I were to want to try it, just to see what it does to my blood sugar, what would be a good beginner’s strategy? And if anyone else _also_ wants to make use of an easy solution and point me to a good thread, that would be much appreciated. Use an insulin syringe, not the silly thing they give you in the kit that is not marked. You want to be able to inject a specific and small amount. The full 100 unit (1 ml) emergency dose they have in the kit is not geared toward good BG management, it is geared toward making sure every single person who takes it will have their hypo ended with absolute certainty. They are not worried about the 300+ BG you will have later… But of course, you are correctly concerned with that. So instead, use 5 units for a 20 point jump as a starting point. > [@Nickyghaleb](#): > > And if anyone else _also_ wants to make use of an easy solution and point me to a good thread, that would be much appreciated. Yes there are several good threads. Just look for “glucagon” and anything posted by Eric. 🤣 Just joking, but yes I have posted several things on glucagon. ---
**Author:** ![T1Allison](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c77e96/32.png) [@T1Allison](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/T1Allison)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2019, 6:14pm UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/glucagon-noob-but-up-for-a-good-experiment/8501/3 "2019-10-13T18:14:01Z")
I think I injected half of a glucagon dose post-pregnancy during a steep tank and I was stuck at 450 for the rest of the day. Highest bg I’ve ever seen on me. This is not really useful. Just anecdotal. Bc I like to talk. 😁 ---
**Author:** ![Thomas](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forum.fudiabetes.org/thomas/32/1719_2.png) [@Thomas](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/Thomas)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2019, 6:44pm UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/glucagon-noob-but-up-for-a-good-experiment/8501/4 "2019-10-13T18:44:30Z")
> [@Nickyghaleb](#): > > If I were to want to try it, just to see what it does to my blood sugar, what would be a good beginner’s strategy? I would suggest two birds one stone. Involve somebody else. Let them mix the solution, draw it out and give you the injection. That pretty takes the fear factor which otherwise another person may have who might one day find this appropriate to give you without you being able to provide directions. I agree with Eric. Try a 5 unit dose first. And yes - use a typical insulin syringe. Track what it does. The rise should be pretty small. After that has more or less run its course, then try a 15 unit dose. When we tried it with our (adult) test subject we took finger sticks every 5 or 10 minutes. I can’t recall exactly. But we started maybe 20 or 30 minutes in advance to see if there was already a rise or fall in progress then continued for maybe 45 minutes after the 15 unit glucagon injection. We ended up seeing about a 75 BG point rise. I think. This was a few years ago. ---
**Author:** ![Nickyghaleb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Nickyghaleb](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/Nickyghaleb)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2019, 6:57pm UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/glucagon-noob-but-up-for-a-good-experiment/8501/5 "2019-10-13T18:57:47Z")
> [@T1Allison](#): > > This is not really useful. Just anecdotal. Bc I like to talk. 😁 That’s useful in other ways, @T1Allison. I love to hear that someone else has a weakness when it comes to talking. The force is strong in you. And in me. 🤔 ---
**Author:** ![Nickyghaleb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Nickyghaleb](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/Nickyghaleb)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2019, 11:01pm UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/glucagon-noob-but-up-for-a-good-experiment/8501/6 "2019-10-13T23:01:00Z")
> [@Eric](#): > > Use an insulin syringe, not the silly thing they give you in the kit that is not marked. You want to be able to inject a specific and small amount. So I opened the kit… and found it with liquid in the syringe thing it comes with… and thought maybe somebody had already mixed it. When I say I’ve never used glucagon, I meant I’ve never even opened one. Now I understand there is powder in the bottle and liquid in the thing, so I’m supposed to just squirt liquid into bottle and shake it up?? Then use a regular syringe to pull out 5 units (5 UNITS?!) at a time? You did mean 5 units, right? > [@Eric](#): > > Yes there are several good threads. Just look for “glucagon” and anything posted by Eric. I feel like the logical first step is to inject myself and then to look for the good threads. > [@Thomas](#): > > Involve somebody else. That should probably be my mom, but I have a feeling she is not going to want to do it. She talks a big game, but… > [@Thomas](#): > > That pretty takes the fear factor which otherwise another person may have who might one day find this appropriate to give you without you being able to provide directions. Though this would be a good argument for _why_ it should be my mom. > [@Thomas](#): > > I agree with Eric. Try a 5 unit dose first. And yes - use a typical insulin syringe. So two smart people. I’ll start there. 😌 ---
**Author:** ![Thomas](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forum.fudiabetes.org/thomas/32/1719_2.png) [@Thomas](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/Thomas)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2019, 1:16am UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/glucagon-noob-but-up-for-a-good-experiment/8501/7 "2019-10-14T01:16:32Z")
> [@Nickyghaleb](#): > > Then use a regular syringe to pull out 5 units (5 UNITS?!) at a time? You did mean 5 units, right? Once it is mixed up, pretend the vial with the Glucagon solution is insulin. Use a typical insulin syringe and just pull out 5 units just like you would for Humalog (or whatever insulin) and inject it sub-q like a typical injection. See what it does. The 5 unit should be a very modest bump but should give you the confidence that nothing crazy is gonna happen so then you can try something a little larger like maybe 15 units of the glucagon solution. After mixing up the solution, keep the vial in the Fridge. I think the manufacturer says the solution is good for 24 hrs if kept in the Fridge? I don’t recall exactly but I think Eric said he found it worked for about 3 days when stored in the Fridge? ---
**Author:** ![Eric](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forum.fudiabetes.org/eric/32/9209_2.png) [@Eric](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/Eric)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2019, 2:46am UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/glucagon-noob-but-up-for-a-good-experiment/8501/8 "2019-10-14T02:46:35Z")
> [@Nickyghaleb](#): > > so I’m supposed to just squirt liquid into bottle and shake it up?? Then use a regular syringe to pull out 5 units (5 UNITS?!) at a time? You did mean 5 units, right? Yes! ---
**Author:** ![MM2](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forum.fudiabetes.org/mm2/32/3032_2.png) [@MM2](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/MM2)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2019, 7:20am UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/glucagon-noob-but-up-for-a-good-experiment/8501/9 "2019-10-14T07:20:09Z")
> [@Thomas](#): > > Use a typical insulin syringe That is labeled for U100 !!! ---
**Author:** ![Nickyghaleb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Nickyghaleb](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/Nickyghaleb)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2019, 1:05pm UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/glucagon-noob-but-up-for-a-good-experiment/8501/10 "2019-10-14T13:05:36Z")
> [@MM2](#): > > That is labeled for U100 !!! Three smart people. Two to lay out the plan and one to save me from myself. Thank you for that, @MM2. 🤗 > [@Thomas](#): > > Once it is mixed up, pretend the vial with the Glucagon solution is insulin. Use a typical insulin syringe and just pull out 5 units just like you would for Humalog (or whatever insulin) and inject it sub-q like a typical injection. Okay. Today. It will motivate me to get my blood sugar down enough to be able to afford the experiment. I’ve been lazy. 😑 ---
**Author:** ![Boerenkool](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forum.fudiabetes.org/boerenkool/32/6307_2.png) [@Boerenkool](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/Boerenkool)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2019, 5:45pm UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/glucagon-noob-but-up-for-a-good-experiment/8501/11 "2019-10-14T17:45:38Z")
> [@MM2](#): > > That is labeled for U100 !!! Units of insulin and glucagon are not the same anyway. A glucagon kit contains just one unit (= 1mg) of glucagon. Speaking of glucagon, the label on my kit recommends daily glucagon injections. Sounds like a revolutionary treatment option. 🤣 ---
**Author:** ![Eric](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forum.fudiabetes.org/eric/32/9209_2.png) [@Eric](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/Eric)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2019, 6:39pm UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/glucagon-noob-but-up-for-a-good-experiment/8501/12 "2019-10-14T18:39:27Z")
> [@Boerenkool](#): > > A glucagon kit contains just one unit (= 1mg) of glucagon. A glucagon kit has 1 mg of glucagon and 1 ml of liquid. The common reference to a “unit” in the United States is 1/100th of ml, because most syringes are U100. 100 units of a U100 insulin syringe would be 1ml. For example, on the U100 BD syringes that are 3/10 of a ml, it says “Doses up to 30 units”. ![image](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/uploads/fudiabetes/original/2X/0/063d7512626d08a3d8e7e2b75fdf1a12ee8a514e.png) For the purposes of understanding, it is much clearer to tell Nicky to use a U100 syringe and take 5 units, rather then to tell her that one international unit of glucagon is equivalent to 1 mg of glucagon, so she should take 0.05 international units of glucagon. Once it is mixed, using a U100 syringe means each unit of the syringe is 1/100th of the full dose. ![image](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/uploads/fudiabetes/original/2X/e/ee6b4335400ad8fe4bce381a77b2ec1df922898d.png) So when we tell Nicky to draw it up into a syringe and take “5 units”, she knows what that means. She is not going to take 5 full glucagon kits. ---
**Author:** ![Nickyghaleb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Nickyghaleb](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/Nickyghaleb)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2019, 7:35pm UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/glucagon-noob-but-up-for-a-good-experiment/8501/13 "2019-10-14T19:35:23Z")
You had me at _start with 5 units_. 😁 ---
**Author:** ![Beacher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a6a055/32.png) [@Beacher](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/Beacher)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2019, 8:08pm UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/glucagon-noob-but-up-for-a-good-experiment/8501/14 "2019-10-14T20:08:12Z")
> [@Eric](#): > > She is not going to take 5 full glucagon kits. Well, she did say she’s up for a good experiment! 🤣 ---
**Author:** ![Nickyghaleb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Nickyghaleb](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/Nickyghaleb)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2019, 9:51pm UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/glucagon-noob-but-up-for-a-good-experiment/8501/15 "2019-10-14T21:51:06Z")
> [@Beacher](#): > > Well, she did say she’s up for a good experiment! 🤣 And now that’s been met with a challenge. Nothing I love more than a good experiment than a good challenge. 😁 Serious question… _how far_ expired is _too_ expired?? ---
**Author:** ![Eric](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forum.fudiabetes.org/eric/32/9209_2.png) [@Eric](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/Eric)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2019, 10:35pm UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/glucagon-noob-but-up-for-a-good-experiment/8501/16 "2019-10-14T22:35:25Z")
> [@Beacher](#): > > Well, she did say she’s up for a good experiment! Actually, since the liver only stores about 100 grams, once it is out, it’s out. So there is point at which taking more glucagon won’t make any more difference. Your liver is totally empty. Maybe that would be the experiment. 🤷‍♂️ ---
**Author:** ![Eric](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forum.fudiabetes.org/eric/32/9209_2.png) [@Eric](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/Eric)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2019, 10:37pm UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/glucagon-noob-but-up-for-a-good-experiment/8501/17 "2019-10-14T22:37:15Z")
> [@Nickyghaleb](#): > > _how far_ expired is _too_ expired?? I have **never** gotten there. I know 3 years past expiration works. What do you have? ---
**Author:** ![Nickyghaleb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Nickyghaleb](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/Nickyghaleb)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2019, 11:14pm UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/glucagon-noob-but-up-for-a-good-experiment/8501/18 "2019-10-14T23:14:58Z")
> [@Eric](#): > > So there is point at which taking more glucagon won’t make any more difference. Your liver is totally empty. > > Maybe that would be the experiment. > 🤷‍♂️ I’m in. 👍 > [@Eric](#): > > I have **never** gotten there. I know 3 years past expiration works. > > What do you have? …😬…I’m afraid if I answer this honestly, I might lose whatever little respect I have around these parts… I’ll start with the 4/17 one. I’ve got one of those… and then I’ve got a throwback. You want to know that one? Just to be clear, it _is_ marked “practice”… which I’ve obviously done with it… ---
**Author:** ![Thomas](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forum.fudiabetes.org/thomas/32/1719_2.png) [@Thomas](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/Thomas)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2019, 11:27pm UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/glucagon-noob-but-up-for-a-good-experiment/8501/19 "2019-10-14T23:27:54Z")
> [@Nickyghaleb](#): > > Just to be clear, it _is_ marked “practice”… which I’ve obviously done with it… Can you elaborate on what you mean by that? ---
**Author:** ![Nickyghaleb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Nickyghaleb](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/Nickyghaleb)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2019, 11:45pm UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/glucagon-noob-but-up-for-a-good-experiment/8501/20 "2019-10-14T23:45:51Z")
> [@Thomas](#): > > Can you elaborate on what you mean by that? Can I do even better and just edit it?? 🤣🤣 I meant it’s marked “practice” (because it is so old it’ll probably turn to dust if I pick it up)… and I obviously _haven’t_ practiced… I need a joke break. I’m in a joke slump, and I’m insisting on trying to be funny anyway. [Next page](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/glucagon-noob-but-up-for-a-good-experiment/8501.md?page=2)