COVID Vaccines Altering Blood Sugar, Electrolyte Balance

"My insulin requirements skyrocketed after being vaccinated," writes Steve Kirsch. Kirsch says he's a type 2 diabetic who controls his blood sugar with insulin, and didn't understand why his need for insulin suddenly changed. But he found a small study of people who used the Chinese SinoVac vaccine which showed healthy volunteers' HBA1C all went up--in some cases, to prediabetic levels. From the study,

To our surprise, quite consistent increases in HbA1c levels were observed in healthy volunteers, regardless of whether they belonged to cohort A or B. By day 28 post the 1st inoculation, three out of 11 individuals reached the prediabetic range (Fig. ​(Fig.2c).2c). By days 42 and 90, medium HbA1c levels appeared to revert back, yet were still significantly higher than those before vaccination.

Kirsch isn't alone. Dr. Richard Bernstein, an author, researcher and clinician with type 1 diabetes who pioneered home blood sugar testing, says his blood sugar dropped after getting vaccinated and many of his patients (all diabetics) reported higher or lower blood sugars after getting their shots. 

Dr. Bernstein prescribes strict carbohydrate control and says in the video that all of his patients wear a continuous glucose monitor. He doesn't mention any emergencies among his patients. 

Unfortunately, a case series from New York describes three people who ended up with "hyperglycemic emergencies triggered not by COVID-19 disease but likely by COVID-19 vaccination. All 3 patients experienced symptoms within 48 hours of vaccination and ultimately presented with HHS [hyperosmolar hyperglycemic syndrome] and/or DKA [diabetic ketoacidosis] after the first of 2 vaccinations." Their blood sugars ranged from 847 to 1062; ideal blood sugar is around 70-100. All three patients were treated with insulin, which they were able to discontinue within eight weeks and replace with oral medications for diabetes. The study adds that the reaction of severe hyperglycima is "extremely rare," but it sounds like getting a continuous glucose monitor and strictly limiting your carbohydrates would be a good precaution if you're diabetic and get a COVID vaccine.

Photo from Pexels.

What was most disturbing to me was the part in the Chinese study about potassium levels. For reasons I don't understand, I sometimes suffer from low electrolytes--so much so that I use a potassium meter. I have to take highly absorbable magnesium just to digest my food and keep my heart from pounding. And since magnesium is necessary to absorb potassium, when I get low on the first, I get low on the second. Even on a normal day, I sometimes resort to eating a small bag of potato chips (or two) to feel normal, since potato chips are full of salt and potassium. Well, the study found after COVID vaccination, "Serum potassium levels decreased significantly by days 28, 42, and 90 post the 1st inoculation, with one sample below the lower normal limit at day 42." A potassium level that's low enough can be life threatening. 

To be fair, these are anecdotes and a small study. You might get some of these conditions by getting COVID. But these indicate that you need to exercise a great deal of caution in getting a COVID vaccine if you have diabetes, may be prone to diabetes, or have problems with your electrolytes.