The seasons come, and the seasons go. Most people just simply adjust — they put extra clothes on in the winter and take extra clothes off in the summer. When a cold or the flu strikes, they simply go to the corner drugstore and pick up a well-advertised cold and flu symptom reliever. No sweat! No problem!

The world is a little different for those with diabetes. All of those over-the-counter cold and flu symptom relief products simply aren’t safe for diabetics to take.

Diabetics MUST know what’s in that “stuff” before they take it. The trick is to understand what ingredients are in the medications that are out there, and how they will affect diabetes.

Ingredients are listed on the product labels under two categories: inactive and active. Inactive ingredients aren’t there to treat symptoms. They are mostly just fillers, flavorings, colorings, and ingredients that help maintain a constant consistency. The active ingredients in the products are the ingredients that actually treat the symptoms or colds and flu.

Both active and inactive ingredients in over-the-counter cold and flu symptom relief products can have an effect on blood glucose. Ingredients that are listed under “inactive ingredients,” such as alcohol and sugar, will most assuredly affect blood sugar levels.

Your doctor can recommend over-the-counter products or give you a prescription for a cold and flu symptom relief product that will have a lesser effect on your blood sugar level. Your doctor can also instruct you as to how the recommended products can affect your insulin requirements.

Diabetes is a serious disease. Diabetics can and do live long, productive, and active lives; but they are required to be constantly aware of the substances that they ingest, and cold and flu symptom relief products are one of the most important ones.