Diabetes Treatment Drugs Can Provide An Alternative To Insulin

If the thought of injecting insulin terrifies you, finding out that you have diabetes could seem like the worst possible diagnosis. If you are type 2 diabetic however, you may be pleased to know that there are a huge number of different diabetes treatment drugs that you can try before you need to resort to insulin. Here are a few of the diabetes treatments that are available to type 2 diabetics today, along with the possible side effects you may experience when using these.

One of the most common diabetes treatment drugs taken in tablet form is sulphonylureas, taken once or twice a day. It works by increasing natural insulin manufacture in the body, so insulin injections are unnecessary. The types of sulphonylureas available include glibenclamide, glimepiride, and chlorpropamide, and they can cause various side effects. Sulphonylureas work over a long time period so they can cause blood sugar levels to drop too low, causing a hypo. They are also known to cause nausea, stomach problems and excessive weight gain. On rare occasions diabetics taking sulphonylureas can experience a lumpy red rash on their skin.

Biguanide, otherwise known as metformin, is a diabetes treatment drug taken two to three times daily. It prevents the liver from producing new glucose, and also assists insulin in carrying glucose to the body's cells. The side effects of this treatment are mild, and include an upset stomach, nausea or diarrhoea. Side effects decrease over time, and can be limited by taking biguanide tablets with food.

A third type of diabetes treatment drug, designed to limit natural insulin resistance, is thiazolidinediones, often known as pioglitazone or rosiglitazone. Because there is a reduced resistance to insulin, type 2 diabetics taking this treatment are able to use the small amount of insulin they do produce more effectively. Taking thiazolidinediones can occasionally cause respiratory tract infections, or more commonly lead to headaches, fluid retention and increase weight.

If you are at high risk of hypos when taking sulphonylureas, your doctor may recommend prandial glucose regulators which also increase the production of insulin in the pancreas, but only over a short period of time. These can cause some side effects such as nausea and an upset stomach, but these are minimal when the tablets are taken with meals. Diabetics taking prandial glucose regulators may also experience weight gain, but a flexible dosage can usually solve this problem.

A different approach to tackling the high blood sugar associated with type 2 diabetes, is to take an alpha glucose inhibitor. These reduce the rate at which starchy foods are taken into the blood stream so that your blood sugar level does not rise too quickly. The usual dose for alpha glucose inhibitors such as acarbose is three tablets a day. However, your physician may suggest a low dose to begin with to minimise side effects such as diarrhoea, bloating and wind.

Type 2 diabetics are often deficient in a hormone known as incretin, which limits the amount of glucose produced by the liver, whilst also controlling insulin production. Taking a diabetes treatment known as DPP-4 inhibitors can increase incretin levels, enabling type 2 diabetics to better control their blood sugar. This diabetes treatment should nit be used by patients taking insulin, but can be very effective when used with drugs such as thiazolidinediones. The side effects associated with DPP-4 inhibitors depend largely on which other diabetes treatment drugs they are taken with.

Most type 2 diabetics find that after many years of diabetes treatment drugs, their pancreas will no longer produce enough insulin to maintain a healthy blood sugar and they will have to begin insulin injections. Insulin is injected into various sites such as thighs, stomach or buttocks, using a relatively small needle. Even so, many may decide they can't face injecting themselves and will look for alternatives such as an insulin pump. There are a number of alternative delivery methods being developed, including an insulin patch and an inhaler.

Article Source: http://www.myaddirectory.com

Lisa Janse is a professional writer specialising in health issues. Learn more about coping with Diabetes by reading more practical and interesting facts on Diabetes Diets at www.sugardiabetes.net

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