Miranda Wilhelm, PharmD
Miranda Wilhelm, PharmD, clinical associate professor, Southern University Illinois Edwardsville School of Pharmacy, Edwardsville, Illinois.
Since I have diabetes, should I worry about the sugar in cough and cold medicines?
People with diabetes do need to think twice before buying over-the-counter (OTC) cough, cold and flu medications. Many of these medications contain various forms of sugar, often in the form of high-fructose corn syrup—but the labels don’t state how much sugar the product contains per dose. It’s a dilemma because in some cases the carbs, mostly from sugar, are so high it’s equivalent to a snack—and that affects blood sugar. The products I have investigated vary greatly from having just a few milligrams of carbs per dose to having as much as 24 grams—about as much as you'd find in a Hershey's chocolate bar! To confuse matters further, some have alcohol in them, which can reduce blood sugar levels...while being sick in the first place can increase blood sugar levels. My first bit of advice: Keep your blood sugar under control when you are well. If your blood sugar is consistently well-managed, an occasional rise in blood sugar from a medication isn't a concern, and you should be fine taking an OTC medication for a few days. But if your blood sugar is often elevated or is hard to control, be especially careful when buying these medications...