Conditions and symptoms
What Is Hypoglycemia? Low Blood Sugar
Hypoglycemia · say it: hy-po-gly-SEE-mee-uhAlso written: low blood sugar, hypoglycaemia, hypo
Short answer
Hypoglycemia means blood sugar (glucose) has dropped too low. It can cause shakiness, sweating and confusion, and severe cases need urgent help.
What it means
Hypoglycemia means the level of sugar (glucose) in the blood has fallen too low for the body and brain to work well. Early signs often include shakiness, sweating, hunger, a fast heartbeat, irritability or feeling faint. If it becomes severe, with confusion, drowsiness, fits or passing out, it is an emergency and needs urgent medical help.
Labels for diabetes medicines such as insulin and sulfonylureas warn about hypoglycemia because these medicines lower blood sugar, and sometimes it can go too low, for example after a missed meal or extra exercise. Some other medicines can also affect blood sugar. The warning is telling you to know the signs and to have a plan agreed with your care team.
Hypoglycemia (low sugar) is the opposite of hyperglycemia (high sugar). The words differ by only a few letters, so it is worth checking which one your label or report means.
Where you may see it
- Labels and leaflets for insulin, sulfonylureas and other diabetes medicines
- Glucose meter readings and diabetes clinic letters
- Hospital records and discharge summaries
📄 How it looks on a report
Hypoglycemia: All sulfonylureas are capable of producing severe hypoglycemia.
🙅 What it does not mean
- It does not only happen to people with diabetes, though it is most common in people taking diabetes medicines.
- A warning about hypoglycemia does not mean the medicine is wrong for you. It means the risk should be understood and managed.
- Hypoglycemia is not the same as hyperglycemia, which is high blood sugar.
🗒️ Questions to ask your doctor
💊 Medicines whose labels mention “Hypoglycemia”
Plain-English explanations of each medicine, from its official FDA label.
- Allopurinol
a xanthine oxidase inhibitor, a prescription medicine that acts on uric acid
- Atenolol
a beta-blocker (beta-adrenergic blocker). The label describes it as a beta 1-selective, or cardioselective, blocking agent.
- Bisoprolol Fumarate
a beta-blocker, which the label describes as a synthetic, beta 1-selective (cardioselective) adrenoceptor blocking agent
- Carvedilol
A beta-blocker. The FDA lists it as both an alpha-adrenergic blocker and a beta-adrenergic blocker.
- Cephalexin
a cephalosporin antibacterial medicine (an antibiotic that treats bacterial infections)
- Ciprofloxacin
a fluoroquinolone antibacterial medicine
- Dapagliflozin
a sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitor, a type of diabetes medicine
- Empagliflozin
a sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitor, a prescription medicine that works on sugar handling in the kidneys
- Glimepiride
a sulfonylurea, a type of oral medicine used to lower blood sugar in adults with type 2 diabetes
- Glipizide
a blood-sugar-lowering medicine of the sulfonylurea type
🔗 Read more from trusted sources
- “Hypoglycemia” on MedlinePlus ↗
US National Library of Medicine
- NCI Dictionary definition ↗
US National Cancer Institute: “hypoglycemia”
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General information about a medical word, not advice about your own results. Ask the clinician who ordered the test what it means for you.