A patient on metformin and glipizide arrives at her 11:30 a.m. clinic appointment diaphoretic and dizzy. She reports taking her medication this morning and ate a bagel and coffee for breakfast. BP is 110/70 and random finger-stick glucose is 64. How should this patient be treated?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

This patient is experiencing hypoglycemia, likely due to the combination of metformin and glipizide. The best treatment for hypoglycemia is 15 grams of carbohydrates, which can be obtained from 8 oz of milk or 4 oz of orange juice. The other options provide too many or too few carbohydrates and/or contain sugar substitutes which are not helpful in treating hypoglycemia.

A Patient on Metformin and Glipizide Arrives at Her 11:30