When are they prescribed?
Symptoms of low blood glucose (hypoglycemia): sweating, rapid heartbeat, constant hunger, confusion, blurred vision, dizziness, weakness, heart attack.
To diagnose insulinomas (pancreatic tumors) and to determine the cause of acute or chronic hypoglycemia (in combination with glucose and C-peptide measurements).
To monitor the level of endogenous insulin synthesized by beta cells.
To detect insulin resistance.
To determine when people with type 2 diabetes should start taking insulin or hypoglycemic drugs.
Patient Preparation
1. Do not eat for 8 hours before collecting the sample.
2. Do not take multivitamins or supplements containing biotin (vitamin B7), which is commonly found in hair, skin, and nail supplements and multivitamins, for 12 hours before collecting the sample.
Sampling
Venous blood
Response deadline
Same day