Glucagon: What you should know about this medicine for children on insulin
If your child is on insulin, you should keep glucagon at home, and in your go-bag so that it’s always available in case of any severe “lows”.
What is glucagon?
Glucagon is a hormone produced by the pancreas that raises blood sugar levels. In children with type?1 diabetes, this natural response may be disrupted or insufficient, especially after excess insulin. Without enough glucagon, blood sugar can drop dangerously low risking seizures, loss of consciousness or even death. That’s why carrying an emergency glucagon dose in your go-bag is so important since it can quickly restore blood sugar during severe lows.
Traditional glucagon
The original glucagon rescue kit includes a vial of powdered glucagon and a syringe of diluent. In an emergency, you must mix them inject the diluent into the vial, swirl to dissolve, draw it back into the syringe and inject. It’s effective, but complex under stress.
Baqsimi: Intranasal glucagon
FDA-approved in 2019, Baqsimi is a dry nasal powder for children 4 years and older. No mixing, no syringe – just insert and spray, and glucagon is absorbed to raise blood sugar within minutes. The simplified delivery makes it faster and easier to use than injectable glucagon.
A one-minute long video showing how to give it, is available.
Gvoke, approved for ages 2 years and up, is a ready-to-use, single-dose prefilled syringe or auto-injector, no mixing needed. It’s stable at room temperature, works rapidly in emergencies and eliminates the need to prepare doses under pressure.
Traditional glucagon
Baqsimi: Intranasal glucagon
Gvoke, approved for ages 2 years and up, is a ready-to-use, single-dose prefilled syringe or auto-injector, no mixing needed. It’s stable at room temperature, works rapidly in emergencies and eliminates the need to prepare doses under pressure.
