What is insulin resistant?? - Diabetes Message Board

cami147 · 06-18-2003, 01:45 PM

I went to an Internal Med. dr. today and explained that I have to eat every 2 hours or I get shaky, dizzy, confused, etc...I also have been exercising and eating healthy foods for 5 months and haven't dropped 1 lb.!! I'm getting bloodwork done next week, but he says I'm probably insulin resistant..Does this mean I have diabetes?

Chaos247 · 06-18-2003, 03:44 PM

Yes and no. Yes because all forms of diabetes and hypoglycemia are when your pancreas either stops producing sufficient insulin or you no longer make it or you do make it and your body does not use it correctly. Some doctors tell people with hypoglycemia (low blood sugars) that. I am a type 2 diabetic. I produce very little and have to take pills to produce insulin. Resistant to me means your body does not react to insulin as it should so a hypoglycemic would be having problems with the way they use their insulin, just the opposite of diabetes. You are probably not diabetic but hypoglycemic. You will have to follow the same regimen as a diabetic. (frequent meals, low carbs etc...)

[This message has been edited by Chaos247 (edited 06-18-2003).]

SamQKitty · 06-18-2003, 09:07 PM

My understanding of insulin resistance is as follows:

Insulin acts like a key to open the door of cells so that they can utilize the glucose in the blood stream. In insulin-resistant people, it's as if the cells' doors had sticky locks, and the keys don't go in well; thus, you need more insulin to enable the blood glucose to get into the cells.

I've never heard the term "insulin-resistant" applied to people with hypoglycemia, although of course I haven't heard everything,

However, what I HAVE heard about hypoglycemia is that the pancreas, for some reason, OVER-produces insulin in response to an increase in blood glucose, thereby using up the glucose too quickly and causing a corresponding drop in blood sugar.

Some people with hypoglycemia go on to develop diabetes because the overproduction of insulin wears out the islet cells in the pancreas and eventually the body can no longer produce enough insulin.