# Cold virus causing slurred speach. Hypoglycemia? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 3, 2022, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cold-virus-causing-slurred-speach-hypoglycemia/974289 "2022-11-03T14:09:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Hermitian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hermitian/32/470_2.png) [@Hermitian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hermitian)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2022, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cold-virus-causing-slurred-speach-hypoglycemia/974289/1 "2022-11-03T14:09:12Z")
I experienced symptoms yesterday that I have only felt a few times in my life. I would start talking and then after about five words my brain couldn’t seem to get my voice box and mouth/tongue to work right. So I would just end my sentence in mumbled diminishing speech. My eyelids also felt very heavy. This is after a decent night of rest. I have a particularly nasty head cold right now. I have only experienced these symptoms a handful of times in my life and I am pretty sure some of the other times where when I was sick. My thought was that this maybe sounded like hypoglycemia. I have done some research online and most sources seem to think that being sick with cold/flu will make your blood sugar go up (not down). So this doesn’t seem to match up with my experience. I don’t have a blood sugar tester, so I can’t test it. Has anyone else experienced this before? Any other explanation? Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2022, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cold-virus-causing-slurred-speach-hypoglycemia/974289/2 "2022-11-03T14:12:10Z")
Do you have a glucose meter? They’re usually pretty cheap (dad’s was $10). I check that when I suspect possible hypoglycemia. If not, then drink some high sugar content. It should work rapidly (15 minutes) if that’s the problem. This isn’t medical advice, of course. Just something that shouldn’t hurt. Hypoglycemia just isn’t something to mess around with. Other than that, I can’t answer your question. ---
**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2022, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cold-virus-causing-slurred-speach-hypoglycemia/974289/3 "2022-11-03T14:13:45Z")
My wife has hypoglycemia, and your symptoms don’t sound like hers. Are you taking strong cold medicine right now? Regardless, if you are concerned, you should consult your doctor. That’s what they’re there for. ---
**Author:** ![Hermitian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hermitian/32/470_2.png) [@Hermitian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hermitian)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2022, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cold-virus-causing-slurred-speach-hypoglycemia/974289/4 "2022-11-03T14:17:31Z")
> [@dolphinboy](#): > > Are you taking strong cold medicine right now? Regardless, if you are concerned, you should consult your doctor. That’s what they’re there for. Just Mucinex. I am not really concerned, just curious. It takes like a month to get a Dr’s appointment and he usually blows off whatever I complain about, so I thought I would ask the teeming millions. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2022, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cold-virus-causing-slurred-speach-hypoglycemia/974289/5 "2022-11-03T14:24:28Z")
When I had Covid I had some serious brain fog. Not because I was tired, I just said some stuff in normal conversation that was way off the wall, or wrong, or I couldn’t get the right words for stuff. My brain just did not work. When I have hypoglycemia it’s not just brain fog. I always describe it like I feel as tho I’m existing in a copy of myself 2" away from my real self. It makes my whole body tired. Have you checked for Covid? When I had it, it felt like a cold. Bad stuffy nose. I didn’t test positive until 2 days after the cold symptoms (but I had been very very tired for a couple days before that). ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2022, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cold-virus-causing-slurred-speach-hypoglycemia/974289/6 "2022-11-03T14:46:46Z")
> [@Hermitian](#): > > I have a particularly nasty head cold right now. I have only experienced these symptoms a handful of times in my life and I am pretty sure some of the other times where when I was sick. Wow, this happened to me once when I was a junior in high school! I was on the track team, and we had a meet at our school. I was really sick with a cold and wasn’t eating much, but my coach talked me into running the 100 meter dash, my specialty. He said it was short and quick, and then I would be done. Well, I did it, but my blood sugar dropped, and I became very lethargic with speaking problems like you. They got me to drink a couple of sports drinks and that, along with lying down, brought me out of it. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2022, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cold-virus-causing-slurred-speach-hypoglycemia/974289/7 "2022-11-03T14:46:50Z")
> [@Hermitian](#): > > It takes like a month to get a Dr’s appointment and he usually blows off whatever I complain about, so I thought I would ask the teeming millions. You really should find another doctor, one who won’t ignore your complaints. ---
**Author:** ![eschrodinger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschrodinger/32/122_2.png) [@eschrodinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschrodinger)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2022, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cold-virus-causing-slurred-speach-hypoglycemia/974289/8 "2022-11-03T14:55:20Z")
This is not a time to seek advice from random people on the internet. Slurred speech can be very serious. > **[Stroke Signs and Symptoms | cdc.gov](https://www.cdc.gov/stroke/signs_symptoms.htm)** > > Learn the signs and symptoms of stroke so you can act F.A.S.T. ---
**Author:** ![Hermitian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hermitian/32/470_2.png) [@Hermitian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hermitian)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2022, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cold-virus-causing-slurred-speach-hypoglycemia/974289/9 "2022-11-03T14:59:31Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > Have you checked for Covid? My daughter who I got it from tested negative. Also, I noticed this happened several times since I was 20 years old (20 years ago) so I don’t think it is COVID specific thing for me. ---
**Author:** ![FinsToTheLeft](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finstotheleft/32/2930_2.png) [@FinsToTheLeft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinsToTheLeft)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2022, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cold-virus-causing-slurred-speach-hypoglycemia/974289/10 "2022-11-03T15:21:38Z")
> [@eschrodinger](#): > > This is not a time to seek advice from random people on the internet. Slurred speech can be very serious. This, a thousand times. Numbness, dizziness, slurred speech, weakness are all “get thee to a hospital” urgent. There is a saying: time is brain. The faster you receive treatment, the less damage and the faster recovery. FinsToTheLeft, who spent 2 months in the hospital after demyelinating disease. ---
**Author:** ![Seanette](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/seanette/32/9139_2.png) [@Seanette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seanette)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2022, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cold-virus-causing-slurred-speach-hypoglycemia/974289/11 "2022-11-03T20:48:36Z")
> [@Hermitian](#): > > I have done some research online and most sources seem to think that being sick with cold/flu will make your blood sugar go up (not down). My husband is a type 2 diabetic, and would definitely confirm this. In fact, that’s one warning that he’s getting sick, his blood sugar suddenly going disturbingly high. Stress also does this to him. ISTR his highest-ever reading came very shortly after a very nasty near-miss in traffic. You might want to get a blood sugar meter. The Walmart Relion brand is quite inexpensive, but does fine on accuracy (I use that one myself, being officially “pre-diabetic”). Having had a TIA about six months ago (basically, very minor stroke), I would be contacting a doctor ASAP about sudden-onset speech difficulties. Not saying that’s what’s wrong with you (I’m not a medical professional), but I do know that’s considered a rather serious symptom that calls for medical attention. ---
**Author:** ![Seanette](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/seanette/32/9139_2.png) [@Seanette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seanette)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2022, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cold-virus-causing-slurred-speach-hypoglycemia/974289/12 "2022-11-03T20:50:01Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > Have you checked for Covid? When I had it, it felt like a cold. Bad stuffy nose. I didn’t test positive until 2 days after the cold symptoms (but I had been very very tired for a couple days before that). I had the same problem. Started having symptoms on a Tuesday (same day DH tested positive), several negative tests followed, positive test on Saturday (when I was really feeling horrible). ---
**Author:** ![Hermitian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hermitian/32/470_2.png) [@Hermitian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hermitian)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2022, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cold-virus-causing-slurred-speach-hypoglycemia/974289/13 "2022-11-04T22:07:09Z")
Thanks all. Covid test negative. No further symptoms besides bad cold. Maybe I will buy test strips and then use them 5 years later when I experience the problem again. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2022, 11:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cold-virus-causing-slurred-speach-hypoglycemia/974289/14 "2022-11-05T11:15:39Z")
If it happens again, yes, get yourself to a doctor. But drink 4 oz of juice or regular soda before you go. If the symptoms disappear in 10 minutes or so, is is likely hypoglycemia. Illness typically causes blood sugar to rise, but not always. For example, if you have not been eating or drinking because of your illness, you can certainly go low. Also, glucose test strips aren’t going to be good five years from now. Keep an eye on the expiration date. And, yeah, meters are cheap, but the test strips are not. Good meters are Accu-Chek, Contour, FreeStyle, or OneTouch. I would avoid True Metrix, Reli-On, and Advocate. mmm ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2022, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cold-virus-causing-slurred-speach-hypoglycemia/974289/15 "2022-11-05T14:00:56Z")
> [@Hermitian](#): > > Maybe I will buy test strips and then use them 5 years later when I experience the problem again. They don’t keep that long. But the strips for the Prodigy Pocket (and the meter itself) don’t cost very much. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2022, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cold-virus-causing-slurred-speach-hypoglycemia/974289/16 "2022-11-05T16:17:22Z")
This is a good system. The test strips are very reasonably priced. > **[Amazon.com: The Contour NEXT ONE Blood Glucose Monitoring System : Health &...](https://www.amazon.com/Contour-Smart-Meter-Monitoring-System/dp/B06W53ZLTK)** > > Buy The Contour NEXT ONE Blood Glucose Monitoring System on Amazon.com ✓ FREE SHIPPING on qualified orders ---
**Author:** ![eschrodinger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschrodinger/32/122_2.png) [@eschrodinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschrodinger)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2022, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cold-virus-causing-slurred-speach-hypoglycemia/974289/17 "2022-11-05T18:52:33Z")
Your ability to speak is being affected – your brain could be at risk. Your life even. Why would you try to self diagnose that? Do you imagine that you, or random nondoctors on the internet know all of the possible causes, how to diagnose and treat them, and you’re willing to stake your brain and your life on it? ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2022, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cold-virus-causing-slurred-speach-hypoglycemia/974289/18 "2022-11-07T03:31:52Z")
The problem resolved itself, just like it has several times before. In the vast majority of cases, self-resolving cases don’t require a doctor’s care. I would never go to the doctor for one unless I read something that told me that I should. Granted, I do agree that the OP should get this one checked out, but only because of things I’ve read about related to stroke and degenerative neural diseases. It’s possible things could get worse, so better to get it checked. Especially if you have a “bad cold,” since that suggests hypoxia could be the cause. ---
**Author:** ![eschrodinger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschrodinger/32/122_2.png) [@eschrodinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschrodinger)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2022, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cold-virus-causing-slurred-speach-hypoglycemia/974289/19 "2022-11-07T05:20:20Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > Granted, I do agree that the OP should get this one checked out, but only because of things I’ve read about related to stroke and degenerative neural diseases. It’s possible things could get worse, so better to get it checked. Right. That’s why I posted a link to the CDC’s page listing symptoms of stroke that you should go to the ER immediately for. And even if it’s not stroke, my point in my second post was that even if something like that goes away after a time, it is a very serious neurological symptom. Why would you wait and see if it goes away, or see if the teeming masses know anything about it, when your brain is at risk? ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2022, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cold-virus-causing-slurred-speach-hypoglycemia/974289/20 "2022-11-07T17:06:28Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > The problem resolved itself, just like it has several times before. A doctor I know jokes about opening a medical practice for the treatment of self-limiting diseases.