Overdose of insulin and seized

QUESTION: Please I need to know. My Sister injected a large overdose of insulin and seized and died. Did she suffer pain?



ANSWER: Hi,

First, I am sorry for your sister and your loss. Unfortunately, a wrong dosage of medications can be fatal as in your sisters case.

You are asking if your sister did have pain. Nothing is known what happens to a person who is passing away. We cannot ask him/her about what they are feeling; at the same time, they cannot answer us.

With regards to your sister, I can only say what we (medical team) know as a mechanism when something wrong happens to a human body.

In other words, I can only say what happens when the dose of insulin injected is over-passed. In that case, hypoglycemia is the only condition taken place, and will be responsible for the loss of consciousness, seizures and death.

As you told us that your sister suffered from seizures, I do not know what her symptoms were. For your information, diabetic seizures come with different symptoms.

Some become unaware of the surroundings although his/her eyes are open. Some others experience what we call violent convulsions, turning, twitching or stiffness of muscles, and short loss of memory to contradictory movements and pain in chest.

As I have not seen your sister seizures, I cannot define exactly if she had pain or no. I hope she did not suffer pain, but just has been fallen asleep (severe hypoglycemia or diabetic coma) until her last breath.

Please accept my condolences for your sister loss once more. Hope your life will be filled with happiness now and on.

Dr.Alba