An Overview of Diabetes Medicine - By: Julia Hanf

Over time, high levels of blood glucose, also called blood sugar, can cause health problems. Some of the problems can include heart disease, heart attacks, strokes, kidney disease, nerve damage, digestive problems, eye disease, and tooth and gum problems. However, you can help prevent health problems by keeping your blood glucose levels on target.

One very important thing is that if you have been diagnosed with diabetes you need to choose foods wisely and be physically active. Unfortunately if you can’t reach your target blood glucose levels with wise food choices and physical activity, you may need diabetes medicines.

The type of medicine you will need to take depends on your type of diabetes, your schedule, and your other health conditions.
The goals of diabetes medicine are to help keep your blood sugar in your target range. Your doctor or diabetes educator will let you know what your target range is.

Unfortunately if your body is no longer making enough insulin you will need to take it in medication form. Insulin can be used regardless of which type of diabetes you have.

There are a variety of ways you can take insulin and your doctor will help you decide which is best for you.

• Taking injections. You’ll give yourself shots using a needle and syringe. A syringe is a hollow tube with a plunger; the insulin will go into the hollow tube. Also available is an insulin pen, which looks like a pen but has a needle for its point.

• Using an insulin pump. Insulin pumps are small machines about the size of a cell phone, typically worn outside of your body on a belt or in a pocket or pouch. The pump connects to a small plastic tube and a very small needle which is inserted under the skin and stays in for several days.

• Using an insulin jet injector. The jet injector sends a fine spray of insulin through the skin with high-pressure air instead of a needle.

Along with meal planning and physical activity, diabetes pills are another way to help people with type 2 diabetes or gestational diabetes keeps their blood glucose levels on target. As with insulin there are several kinds of pills available. Some people can take two or three kinds of pills while others take combination pills.

A combination pill contains two kinds of diabetes medicine in one tablet. And there are some people who take pills and insulin.
Side effects are unwanted problems that can be caused by medicine.

For instance, some diabetes medicines can cause nausea or an upset stomach when you first start taking them. Before you begin taking a new medicine it’s important to ask your doctor about possible side effects and how you can avoid them.

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