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Nasal Spray Shows Promise As Diabetic Rescue Treatment Option

Fruit Jelly Candy
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A new nasal spray containing powdered glucagon–a hormone that rapidly increases blood sugar levels–may provide an effective rescue treatment solution for diabetics who are feeling dizzy or as HealthDay reports, even unconscious as a result of extremely low levels of blood sugar, new research suggests.

According to the research, which was conducted as a clinical trial, the new nasal spray is almost as effective as the only presently available treatment option when it comes to the treatment of low blood sugar, which is known as hypoglycemia.

The only treatment option presently available for hypoglycemia comes in the form of an FDA-approved glucagon powder that is mixed with water and injected directly into muscle via a syringe.

For mild and moderate cases of diabetes, adjusting one’s blood sugar levels might be as simple as sucking on a piece of candy but when it comes to severe cases, glucagon treatment might be necessary.

Researchers behind the study recruited 75 participants, all adults with type 1 diabetes, in order to measure the nasal spray’s effectiveness in comparison to the injection option. The trial’s participants were derived from eight clinics, all located within in the United States.

When it came to either treatment option, the researchers found that more than a third of the participants experienced nausea, but users of the nasal spray in particular were found to be more apt to report feelings of discomfort in their head and facial regions.

Funding for the clinical trial was provided by the original developer of the nasal spray, Locemia Solutions. The results were published in the journal Diabetes Care on December 17.

Locemia’s new nasal spray for diabetics is by no means the first nasal spray delivery system used to administer a hormone. In an unrelated study, researchers tested a synthetic nasal spray designed to deliver the “love hormone” oxytocin. The study’s lead author, Dr. Elizabeth Lawson, noted the observation of “early signs that oxytocin reduces how much food someone eats at a meal and improves the way their body handles blood sugar.”

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