After a diagnosis of having type 2 diabetes, in addition to controlling your diet and staying active, your doctor may prescribe related treatment medications.
If the patient is taking only one medication, it should be metformin. Metformin reduces the output of liver glycogen.
Even if a patient changes his or her lifestyle and takes the medication as prescribed, blood glucose levels can get progressively worse over time, and this is not something the patient is doing wrong. Diabetes is a progressive disease, and many people need to take more than one medication to treat it.
Multiple medications are needed to control type 2 diabetes, which is commonly referred to as combination therapy.
Types of medications
Diabetes treatment medications fall into two main categories: insulin and non-insulin medications. Most people with type 2 diabetes will start with a non-insulin drug.
Non-insulin drugs are divided into 6 categories based on the active ingredients of the drug. These include:
- Metformin, which acts on the liver
- Thiazolidinediones (or glitazones), which promote the removal of sugar from the blood
- Promoter, which promotes the pancreas to produce more insulin amylin blockers that slow down the rate at which the body absorbs sugar from food
- Enterotrophin-based drugs that help the liver produce less sugar while slowing the body’s absorption of food, including tablets and injectables.
- Pancreatic precipitin analogs, a class of injectables that work very similarly to enterostatin drugs.
- Some tablets contain both types of drugs and are called compounded oral medications.
How do I choose my medication?
If one medication is not enough to control type 2 diabetes, then patients need to work with their doctor to find the most effective combination treatment, usually by adding another medication along with metformin.
Which drug to add depends on the patient’s situation. For example, some drugs can control the spike in blood sugar that occurs after a meal (what doctors call hyperglycemia). Some medications are more effective at controlling the drop in blood sugar between meals (hypoglycemia). Still others help with weight loss or cholesterol control.
In addition, the choice of medication depends on whether the patient is taking other medications for other conditions.
Not only that, but patients need to consider possible side effects as well as the cost of treatment.
When should I change my treatment plan?
Patients need to consult with their doctor more frequently when starting a new treatment medication.
Patients may find that they cannot control their blood sugar even with the addition of a 2nd medication. Or the combination of the two drugs works only for a short time. If this happens, the doctor will consider a 3rd non-insulin medication, or the patient can start insulin therapy as well.
Insulin therapy
Insulin should not be taken orally because gastric juices make the medication ineffective. A syringe or injection pen may be used, and some people use an insulin pump. Insulin is released either durably or rapidly, and the doctor will determine which is best for the patient.