Is it normal for a diabetic to hoard sugary candy?

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People want what they cannot have.  Its human nature.

It is normal for a type 1 diabetic to go through a rebellious time frame in which they stop doing the right thing and eat all the things that they have been told would be bad for them.  As a diabetic, it can be depressing watching all your friends have all these things knowing that you shouldn't have it.

As for actually "hoarding" large amounts of sugary treats, that would depend on each person.  Some buy only what they are going to eat at the time - others buy and hide in small amounts - some buy and hide in larger amounts.  (some don't even try to hide the fact that they binge on candy when they shouldn't.)

You are already seeing the short term affects of this kind of binge eating of sugary foods.  He isn't using enough insulin to offset what he is eating and he is ending up needing emergency treatment to get his levels back in control.

Long term issues would be damage to small blood vessels and nerves in various parts of his body.  High sugar levels cause damage to blood vessels and nerves and that is the source of the majority of diabetic complications.  It can lead to the reasons diabetics go blind and have no feeling in their feet.  It can lead to the issues that may result in amputation of a toe or even the whole foot.  The small blood vessels in the kidneys that clean impurities out of the blood would be damaged.  Enough damage to these blood vessels results in kidney failure and dialysis.  Many of these issues takes MANY, MANY years of poorly managed diabetes to develop, but all of these issues affect the quality of life and some can shorten life.

He may need to speak with a therapist to get control of his issues.  This should be treated almost like an addiction.  If your parents have always been very strict with his diet and avoided allowing any treats at all, he is going through a stage of trying everything he has been denied.  

He can also learn how to balance SMALL OCCOASIONAL treats into his regular healthy diet.  For a type 1 diabetic, they are calculating the dose of insulin needed based on the carbohydrates they are eating.  He COULD have SOME sugary items IF he was adjusting his insulin correctly to handle it instead of sneaking it and then not taking the right insulin for what he is eating.

My husband's brother died at the age of 55 due to poorly managed diabetes.  I remember when we were all in our 20's and his brother would eat all kinds of things that he shouldn't.  (entire boxes of hostess snack cakes at one time - things like that) and he would rarely use enough insulin to offset the sugar.  

Try to help your brother find a balance between the right way to have a treat and the right way to manage his sugar.  It isn't about never having any of those treats - it is about taking the right amount of insulin when they do - and not making those treats a part of their main diet.  

It's common for people, diabetic or not, that want to hide what they are eating to hoard things as well as hidden from view and out of "normal" common food storage areas.

Many diabetics will keep a draw or small box/bag of fast acting candy to battle lows. No actual need for a small, medium or large moving box of candies, other than to hide the fact that they have it. I've know friends that kept hard candy and sugar packets in purses, and first aide kits for themselves or diabetic family members. But none ever kept more than a shoe box worth of candy. 

So while your brother may use the excuse that he needs that candy, it is really something he wants to eat or has a mental issue that causes the need to hoard it. No doctor would tell him the amounts he has, is necessary for everything close to being a need. And may very well the cause of his poor control, especially if he is saying his diet is good and has no idea why he is always so high or crashing so low. 

It's a normal form of rebellion for type 1 diabetic teenagers. I didn't hoard candy, but my chocolate addiction started with small chocolate Easter eggs. 

The danger is your brother could end up with gangrene, go blind from diabetic retinopathy or try to commit suicide by overdosing on insulin intentionally and succeed. He is making himself more brittle. He may WANT to die. He needs psychiatric help NOW.

Sugar and carbohydrates are NOT toxic to the liver. Diabetics SLOWLY Starve to death because their bodies cannot produce the insulin required to produce the energy that fuels BOTH the body and the BRAIN. I've gone into low blood sugar episodes because my brain is very active for hours. I CAN be very brittle, especially when I was teenager and into college and graduate school. Anyone who preaches DEADLY, wrong, inaccurate information should be ostracized and ignored. 

Your brother needs professional medical help NOW.

When you have little or no memory of NOT being a type 1 diabetic it may be years before you fully understand you are not normal or accept that yes, you are physicly handicapped. Some type 1 diabetics never accept it. Many type 2s don't know they have it and many of them never accept it. 

There's 7.7% suicide rate among type 1 diabetics. That's pretty high. 

The fructose in sugars is highly addictive and you see hoarding behavior in most people. 

Fructose is likely the cause of most of what's wrong with you, yet you won't even try to go whole foods and water,teas and milk only for even a week because YOU are most likely addicted. 

Like all addictions,  different people experience different intensities. 

The candy is like a double edged sword. On one hand, it can kill him because of too much sugar. On the other hand, it can save him because of too low of a sugar level. 

I assume he’s taking insulin. If he takes a little too much, he’ll go into shock and he’ll need that sugar to save him. But he doesn’t need that much. All he needs is a roll or two of candy nearby just to boost his sugar level. 

If he has a sweet tooth, he can take alcohol sugar which won’t boost his glycemic level. Stevia can also be substituted but it leaves a funny aftertaste. Too much can also cause diarrhea. 

Of course, how do do you think he got diabetic?