Sarah Howard (nee Tackett) has dedicated her career to supporting the T1D community ever since she was diagnosed with T1D while in college in May 2013. Since then, she has worked for various diabetes organizations, focusing on research, advocacy, and community-building efforts for people with T1D and their loved ones. Sarah is currently the Senior Manager of Marketing at T1D Exchange.
Yuck – glucose tablets make me gag. I don’t use them. I prefer glucose gummies as a quick fix for hypo prevention on a trending low BG level; Transcend gel for a more substantial low, and a snort of Baqsimi nasal glucagon for a serious double downward arrows low.
Detest nasty, flavored chalk. Won’t use it voluntarily . Any “cure” someone must COUNT and then repeat over and over to try and stop a danger-low is a dangerously bad cure, just saying.
I chose orange and tropical fruit. But, honestly, I haven’t eaten glucose tabs in years. I do always have glucose tabs handy, but I prefer to use honey, fresh fruit, fruit juice, etc. Glucose Tabs are too dry and get caught in my throat, unless I take water with them.
They now make a chocolate marshmallow flavour which is a nice change, but any of them are pretty gross if you have to consume more than three, which is what is recommended.
I have not used glucose tabs for decades. Hard to carry, messy/chalky, cause me to choke when trying to eat them fast and it takes too many to effectively treat a low.
if I’m having a bad low, I now use full strength Gatorade. 8 ounces are 16 grams of carbs, can chug it quickly and it works faster than glucose tabs. also use Smarties, a roll is 6 grams of carbs.
I checked “other” as I don’t use the tablets for the same reasons others have stated about them. However, I found glucose gummies that are great! They are easy to chew and have 3 grams per gummy. Usually 2 gummies will do the trick for me. They come in three flavors in the bottle but they all taste the same to me and taste equally fine to me. They’ve gotten hard to find but I usually can get a couple bottles on Amazon. I don’t care for the star-shaped gummies because they’re only 2 grams per star, though they do taste fine.
I’m not wild about any of the flavors, which is probably a good thing, but I do miss the individually wrapped tablets that were so easy to keep in a pocket without making a mess or a big bulge.
I don’t see why anyone would pay the inflated price for glucose tablets when sugar candies like Jelly Bellies work just fine — it’s just sugar, after all. I buy Jelly Bellies in 10lb bulk (my favorite flavors, not the massive assortments). Then there is the pleasure of seeing how rapidly I can separate the flavors and put them into 50ml plastic centrifuge tubes for convenient storage.
I use glucose tabs when necessary – don’t have a sweet tooth, and not interested in the calories of candy (I used to pay my older brother to take my Halloween candy off my hands. I lved the costuems and activity of trick or treating – just ot the candy. Finally my parents obsrved our little transaction, and told my brother he had it backwards – he was supposed to pay me for the candy!). I prefer the little glucose bottles of liquid but they are so damned hard to open. The plastic seal makes it hard when I am low. I have aske strangers to open it for me more often than I have opened it on my own. Scared to break the seal on the cap early in case the cap comes off and spills sticky stuff all over the place.
I haven’t used glucose tabs since 1995 or earlier. Smarties Candies rolls are the SAME EXACT ingredients as the glucose tabs, 6 grams carbs per roll, and figuring price per ounce cost less than 1/5 what the advertised “glucose tablets” sell for!
50 glucost tablets, 4 grams carbs per tablet, are typically priced around $4 per 50 count bottle while the Smarties Candies rolls are sold locally for around $4 for a 3 pound bag which turns out to be around 40 16 gram doses of the same rapid carbs for less than almost 18 16 gram doses if taken as the glucose tablets!!!
Funny timing, I was just looking for a new glucose tablet brand that doesn’t have food coloring. The tablets I have contain red#40 lake and yellow#6 lake 🙁
I HATE the chalky mouth feel of any flavor tablets.
I use Skittles, all flavors, 1g carb per candy. Easy to tuck a tiny plastic pill bag of 12 or so in any (and every!) pocket.
I use 4 if my alert sounds at 70, buys me plenty of time for a better snack to kick in.
I use actual green grapes at home…
A few decades ago, I used to buy lemon flavored glucose tabs. They actually tasted good, but haven’t seen them for ages. I default to orange, and avoid combo-flavors or anything pink.
I didn’t know glucose tabs were available in all those flavors! I live in a small town in a rural area, we have two drug stores in town. For the past year I have had difficulty finding glucose tabs in these stores, they are not carried in either of the grocery stores. I have spoken to the ordering staff at the drug stores who tell me they order the tabs but they are not available from their warehouse. Makes it harder for those who prefer to shop locally.
Yuck – glucose tablets make me gag. I don’t use them. I prefer glucose gummies as a quick fix for hypo prevention on a trending low BG level; Transcend gel for a more substantial low, and a snort of Baqsimi nasal glucagon for a serious double downward arrows low.
I also keep Transcend gel on hand for lows. So much easier to get down in a hurry!
Detest nasty, flavored chalk. Won’t use it voluntarily . Any “cure” someone must COUNT and then repeat over and over to try and stop a danger-low is a dangerously bad cure, just saying.
I chose orange and tropical fruit. But, honestly, I haven’t eaten glucose tabs in years. I do always have glucose tabs handy, but I prefer to use honey, fresh fruit, fruit juice, etc. Glucose Tabs are too dry and get caught in my throat, unless I take water with them.
They now make a chocolate marshmallow flavour which is a nice change, but any of them are pretty gross if you have to consume more than three, which is what is recommended.
I have not used glucose tabs for decades. Hard to carry, messy/chalky, cause me to choke when trying to eat them fast and it takes too many to effectively treat a low.
I have tried several brands of glucose tabs and flavors and decided that ReliOn Orange are the most palatable.
if I’m having a bad low, I now use full strength Gatorade. 8 ounces are 16 grams of carbs, can chug it quickly and it works faster than glucose tabs. also use Smarties, a roll is 6 grams of carbs.
My favorite is the white ones in the Relion tropical fruit flavor.
Me too–I wish they made those by themselves! 😉
I will try different kinds
Kroger has/had watermelon glucose tabs that I liked a bit too much!
I checked “other” as I don’t use the tablets for the same reasons others have stated about them. However, I found glucose gummies that are great! They are easy to chew and have 3 grams per gummy. Usually 2 gummies will do the trick for me. They come in three flavors in the bottle but they all taste the same to me and taste equally fine to me. They’ve gotten hard to find but I usually can get a couple bottles on Amazon. I don’t care for the star-shaped gummies because they’re only 2 grams per star, though they do taste fine.
I prefer the chocolate marshmallow ones from Dex4.
I selected tropical fruit but, really, anything *but* orange is fine.
Same here!
I just use milk at home and candy on the go now. But I do miss the original orange BD glucose tabs in the foil package from when I was a kid.
Blueberry
I’m not wild about any of the flavors, which is probably a good thing, but I do miss the individually wrapped tablets that were so easy to keep in a pocket without making a mess or a big bulge.
I just can’t stomach the orange flavor. Too many flashbacks of injecting oranges in the hospital in 1975.
Prefer gummies but I feel tabs work faster.
I checked tropical fruit, but they all taste pretty much the same. I prefer Jelly Belly jellybeans for lows!!🌸
I don’t see why anyone would pay the inflated price for glucose tablets when sugar candies like Jelly Bellies work just fine — it’s just sugar, after all. I buy Jelly Bellies in 10lb bulk (my favorite flavors, not the massive assortments). Then there is the pleasure of seeing how rapidly I can separate the flavors and put them into 50ml plastic centrifuge tubes for convenient storage.
I use glucose tabs when necessary – don’t have a sweet tooth, and not interested in the calories of candy (I used to pay my older brother to take my Halloween candy off my hands. I lved the costuems and activity of trick or treating – just ot the candy. Finally my parents obsrved our little transaction, and told my brother he had it backwards – he was supposed to pay me for the candy!). I prefer the little glucose bottles of liquid but they are so damned hard to open. The plastic seal makes it hard when I am low. I have aske strangers to open it for me more often than I have opened it on my own. Scared to break the seal on the cap early in case the cap comes off and spills sticky stuff all over the place.
I have been waiting for this question…wouldn’t it be a much more enjoyable experience if we could get Root Beer flavored glucose tabs? Whose with me?
I have root beer-flavored TRUEplus® Soft Tabs! I think I got them from Amazon but they only seem to have other flavors today.
I cannot stand the tablets I much prefer the raspberry gummies
Those taste great! Expensive, but I bought several bottles on closeout, so I’ve got enough for awhile.
I haven’t used glucose tabs since 1995 or earlier. Smarties Candies rolls are the SAME EXACT ingredients as the glucose tabs, 6 grams carbs per roll, and figuring price per ounce cost less than 1/5 what the advertised “glucose tablets” sell for!
50 glucost tablets, 4 grams carbs per tablet, are typically priced around $4 per 50 count bottle while the Smarties Candies rolls are sold locally for around $4 for a 3 pound bag which turns out to be around 40 16 gram doses of the same rapid carbs for less than almost 18 16 gram doses if taken as the glucose tablets!!!
where do you get Smarties for $4 for a 3 pound bag?
I use sweetarts (American version) which are way cheaper and basically the same thing. Glucose tabs are a rip off to Diabetics.
I use powder not tablets and there is no way in hell I would ever use cherry or raspberry.
My son does not have a favorite flavor, but he ,absolutely, prefers the mixed flavor gel 3g tabs from Walmart!
I like any flavor that does not have food coloring in it.
Funny timing, I was just looking for a new glucose tablet brand that doesn’t have food coloring. The tablets I have contain red#40 lake and yellow#6 lake 🙁
When I can find them Fruit Punch, orange is all I can find.
I HATE the chalky mouth feel of any flavor tablets.
I use Skittles, all flavors, 1g carb per candy. Easy to tuck a tiny plastic pill bag of 12 or so in any (and every!) pocket.
I use 4 if my alert sounds at 70, buys me plenty of time for a better snack to kick in.
I use actual green grapes at home…
My preference is fruit punch, never had strawberry, loved blueberry but can’t get that anymore.
A few decades ago, I used to buy lemon flavored glucose tabs. They actually tasted good, but haven’t seen them for ages. I default to orange, and avoid combo-flavors or anything pink.
In order: tropical fruit, fruit punch and grape. Since they have really jumped in price, I don’t really buy them anymore
I didn’t know glucose tabs were available in all those flavors! I live in a small town in a rural area, we have two drug stores in town. For the past year I have had difficulty finding glucose tabs in these stores, they are not carried in either of the grocery stores. I have spoken to the ordering staff at the drug stores who tell me they order the tabs but they are not available from their warehouse. Makes it harder for those who prefer to shop locally.
I preferred watermelon and the sour apple but haven’t found them for several years.
They all taste like chalk, which I’ve always assumed was deliberate to discourage anyone eating them unless they NEED to.
I rarely use glucose tabs. I prefer a few oz of Sprite if needed.
Anything but orange. Orange is the worst.