. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2020 Sep 23.

Published in final edited form as: Wilderness Environ Med. 2019 Nov 18;30(4 Suppl):S121–S140. doi: 10.1016/j.wem.2019.10.003

Table 5.

Treatment of hypoglycemia in the backcountry

Medication	Dose	Route	Timing	Side effects	Special considerations
Glucose	15–20 g	PO, PR, IV	Repeat dose q15 min PRN for persistent hypoglycemia	Hyperglycemia	Patient must immediately consume meal or carbohydrate snack after resolution of hypoglycemia.
Glucagon	1 mg	IM, “mini-dose” subcutaneous, intranasal	Effective in 10–15 min	Nausea, vomiting	Only if able to take oral glucose. Effectiveness limited in glycogen-depleted patients.

IM, intramuscular; IV, intravenous; PO, oral administration; PR, per rectum; PRN, as needed.