Diabetes just happens to be one of the most common health problems in the United States and abroad. If you happen to suffer from this ailment, you’ll realize the importance of going above and beyond to closely monitor your blood sugar levels. Failing to keep those levels in check could result in serious problems in the near future. Just remember that you’ll probably need to utilize specific medications to ensure that your blood sugar remains in a safe range. If you do not take your condition serious, you’re going to run into a wealth of problems. Within this comprehensive guide, you will learn all about the medications that work best for type 2 diabetes.
What Does Type 2 Diabetes Entail?
First and foremost, you should take the time to gain a better understanding of the paramount problem that you’re facing. You should realize that diabetes is a problem, which causes the sugar levels in your body to climb abnormally high. An abnormally high level of sugar is often referred to as hyperglycemia. Type 2 diabetes is a far more common than the other type. If you’re suffering from type 2 diabetes, your body is unable to utilize the insulin properly. This is referred to as an insulin resistance.
If you’re diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, you will need to learn how to keep your levels in check. First and foremost, you will need to learn how to test your blood glucose levels.
How To Test Blood Glucose LevelsÂ
First, you should know that type 2 diabetes is directly linked to blood glucose or blood sugar. If the levels are knocked out of whack, you’re going to experience startling side effects. With this in mind, it is in your best interest to learn how to properly monitor your levels, so you can keep them within the safe range at all times. Learning how to test your blood sugar is absolutely vital for keeping yourself safe. The good news is that you can test your levels directly from the comfort of your own home. You’ll just need a glucose meter and a small amount of blood.
Testing your blood sugar will help you determine how your diet impacts those levels. You’ll also learn what your exercise regimen is doing. The test will also let you know when your levels are too high or low.
When To Test
If you’re suffering from type 2 diabetes, there is a good chance that your doctor will recommend testing your blood sugar levels at least once or twice a day. Of course, this will primarily depend on your unique condition and the specific type of insulin that you’re utilizing. In most cases, your doctor will tell you to check out levels before meals and before you go to sleep at night. If you’re able to control your blood sugar levels with dieting and exercising alone, you may not need to test yourself on a daily basis. Nevertheless, it is still a good idea to do so.
Beside a little bit of pain, testing your blood sugar levels is quick and convenient.
Recommended Blood Sugar Levels
To ensure that you remain safe and sound, it is pertinent to keep your blood sugar levels within the appropriate range. Just remember that the recommended range will vary substantially from one consume to the next. For instance, your age will greatly impact where your blood sugar should be at any point in time. Simultaneously, it is vital to realize that certain health conditions can impact your levels.
If you’re over the age of 60 or suffer from heart or kidney disease, your blood sugar levels should remain between 100 and 140 mg/dL. If you’re under the age of 60 and do not have any medical conditions, you should keep your blood sugar between 80 and 120 mg/dL. By maintaining these levels, you will be able to avoid the devastating side effects and risks associated with abnormally higher or low blood sugar levels.
Understanding Type 2 Diabetes Medications
Did you know that some people with type II diabetes could actually control their blood glucose levels with weight loss regimens and good healthy exercise? However, there are others that have to take certain medications in order to control their levels. Some individuals find that a single medication can be truly effective, while others have to combine a mixture of medications. Whatever your situation is, it is important that you understand that everyone is different and there are quite a few drugs available on the market. This is why it is completely imperative that you understand the different types of drugs, what kinds of effects they have on the body, and if they might be effective for you or not. Below, you will learn about some of the important information and more.
Alpha-Glucosidase Inhibitors
Alpha-glucosidase Inhibitors this is a type or oral medication that works by slowing down how the body absorbs carbohydrates after eating a meal. Taking this drug will not have any weight gain side effects, but some individuals do experience stomach pain, gas, and diarrhea while taking this medication.
Biguanides
Biguanides will increase your body’s sensitivity to insulin, while reducing the amount of glucose that is released from the liver. While taking this medicine some individuals have suffered significant weight loss along with nausea, diarrhea, and lactic acid buildup.
Glucagon-Like Peptides
One thing is for sure there are many different types of medications available to treat Type II diabetes. Your physician or endocrinologist will decide which medication will suit your needs. It is important to note that to get the most out of your medication, you will need to combine it with a regimen of exercise and healthy eating.
Glucagon-like peptides are fairly similar to incretin, a natural hormone produced in the body. Not only do glucagon-like peptides increase B cell growth, but also they are responsible for increasing the insulin that your body utilizes. One of the biggest downsides to taking these drugs is they decrease your appetite. While this may be beneficial for those who tend to eat too much, suppressing the appetite can be harmful for individuals who are underweight. However, in most cases Type II diabetes is linked to excessive weight and inactivity.
Albiglutide (Tanzeum), dulaglutide (Trulicity), exenatide (Byetta), liaglutide (Victoza) and exenatide extended-release (Bydureon) are drugs classified as glucagon-like peptides.
Sodium Glucose Transporter 2 Inhibitors
Sodium glucose transporter 2 inhibitors work in a very unique manner, as they prohibit the kidneys from retaining glucose. In turn, the glucose is excreted from the body through the urinary tract system. Many endocrinologists will prescribe SGLT 2 inhibitors to their patients in the early stages of their disease. One of the most popular SGLT 2 inhibitor is canagliflozin-metformin (Invokamet.) However, there are several different drugs included in this classification, including dapaglifozin (Farxiga), canagliflozin (Invokana, dapagliflozin-metformin (Xigduo XR), empagliflozin (Jardiance), empagliflozin-linagliptin (Glyambi) and empagliflozin-metformin (Synjardy.)
When taking these drugs, it is important to perform regular blood glucose testing. However, this recommendation is pretty much attached to all diabetes drugs. The key to preventing hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia is routine testing, taking medications exercising routinely and eating healthy.
DPP-4 Inhibitors
Taking DPP-4 inhibitors can actually stimulate the release of insulin, while helping the liver inhibit the release of glucose. Some of the known side effects of taking DPP-4 inhibitors are sore throat, headaches, inflamed pancreas, and respiratory tract infections.
Meglitinides
Meglitinides have a quick reaction time, as it works extremely fast to stimulate the release of insulin in the body. With this medication is it important to know that there can be some weight gain, along with low blood sugar, nausea, back pains, and headaches.
Sulfonylureas
Taking sulfonylureas can actually stimulate your pancreas and cause it to produce insulin. This oral medication does have also have an extremely quick reaction time, but it can cause severely low blood sugar levels, skin rashes, and weight gain.
TZD (Thiazolidinedione)
TZD can increase your cholesterol levels and increase your body’s sensitivity to insulin. Unfortunately, some of the side effects of taking TZD can include stroke, heart attack, heart failure, and liver disease.
Amylin Mimetic
Amylin mimetic is an injectable medication that will stimulate the body to aid in the production of insulin. Weight loss will be consistent with taking this drug, because it is known to highly suppress the appetite. Along with this, some individuals experience irritation at the injection site as well.
Incretin Mimetic
Incretin Mimetic is another type of injectable medication that also helps stimulate the release of insulin. Once again, with this medication weight loss will be present due to the appetite suppression effects. However, nausea, vomiting, headaches, and kidney damage may also show up throughout the course of taking this medication.
Afrezza
If you’re suffering from type 2 diabetes, you’re probably sick and tired of taking insulin injections. You’re probably interested in finding another solution. If this is the case, you will definitely want to learn more about Afrezza. This is a unique form of treatment, which was approved by the FDA in 2014. Insulin might not be available in an oral tablet, but Afrezza is the next best thing. This unique form of insulin is actually inhaled. It is a very fast acting insulin that should be taking with your meals. It is designed to control blood sugar levels in adults.
If you’re suffering from type 2 diabetes, there is a possibility that Afrezza will be the only medication that you ever need to use. However, there is a chance that your doctor will also recommend using this medication in conjunction with a long-acting injectable insulin. You may also be required to take a diabetes medicine orally. The good thing about Afrezza is that it is incredibly easy to take and it will begin working within a matter of 15 minutes! Remember that this medication is not recommended for anyone under the age of 18 years.
Victoza
There are tons of excellent medications for type 2 diabetes, but Victoza is one of the most popular. It is actually very similar to a natural hormone, which is naturally made in the body. This hormone is responsible for aiding with the management of blood sugar, digestion and insulin levels. Just remember that Victoza is not a solution in and of itself. It is absolutely vital to make sure that it is combined with a healthy diet and a sufficient amount of exercise. Victoza just happens to be one of the most popular products from Canadian Insulin.
Just remember that this medication is primarily utilized after other diabetes medicines have failed. Be sure to speak with your doctor to determine whether or not this drug is right for you!
The Importance Of Consulting With A Physician
Your doctor is the only one that can prescribe you type II diabetes medications. Most of the time doctors will usually start patients out on a single medication, but over the course of time if that does not do the trick a combination of medications may be required. Speaking with a trained doctor is imperative because there are tons of different factors that can affect the type of medication that your body needs. In addition to this, some of these drugs can have severe side effects, which could lead to even more deadly consequences. So, consulting with a doctor is always completely necessary to ensure your safety.
Remember To Protect Your Feet
It is in your best interest to closely inspect your feet each and every day. Also, be sure to wash the feet and dry them thoroughly. A little mildly warm water and soap will do the trick. If you’re a diabetic and you’re worried about your feet, you should stop smoking immediately! Smoking can further restrict the blood flow to your feet! Every time you visit the doctor, you should remove your shoes and let the doctor have a look. There is a possibility that something has gone unnoticed.
If this is the case, the doctor will find it and they’ll probably you with medications that can help! The last thing you want is for an infection to go untreated, because this could lead to an amputation.
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