Naltrexone and Hypoglycemia in Type 1 Diabetes

Low blood sugar is also called hypoglycemia. Usually, it is mild and can be treated quickly and easily by eating or drinking a small amount of a sugar-rich food. If low blood sugar is left untreated, it can get worse and cause confusion, clumsiness or fainting. Severe hypoglycemia can lead to seizures, coma, and even death. Some people with diabetes do not have early warning signs of low blood sugar. This condition is called hypoglycemia unawareness. It happens when the body stops reacting to low blood sugar levels and the person does not realize that they need to treat their hypoglycemia. This can lead to more severe and dangerous hypoglycemia. The purpose of this early study is to see if a drug called naltrexone should be studied more in people with Type I diabetes and hypoglycemia unawareness. This study will show whether naltrexone could reduce hypoglycemia unawareness. The study will also show, by using magnetic resonance imaging (also called MRI), whether naltrexone changes the way blood flows in the brain when a person is experiencing hypoglycemia.