If you have
diabetes, you may be wondering, "What is glucagon?" To answer that question, it's important to understand low blood sugar and its treatment. If a person with low blood sugar is awake and able to eat, it is best to treat the low blood sugar with food and/or drink. If the person is unconscious or otherwise unable to eat or drink, it is best to treat low blood sugar with intravenous glucose or dextrose.
However, if these options are unavailable, glucagon can be lifesaving and can awaken the person enough for eating or drinking.
Glucagon is a naturally occurring human hormone. It has several different actions, most notably causing an increase in blood glucose. Glucagon works in the liver to convert glycogen (the stored form of glucose) into glucose (sugar). Everything you need to prepare and inject a dose of this medicine is included in a glucagon kit, including step-by-step instructions on how to give the injection.
(To learn more about what this drug is used for, click Glucagon. This article also covers topics such as how it works, generic availability, what to do if you take too much, and more.)
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