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Diabetes Patient Info
Diabetes Treatment Options
While there is no cure for diabetes, a combination of diet, exercise and medication is effective in controlling blood sugar and preventing or delaying symptoms and diabetic related illness.
Medications for diabetics typically fall into two categories: oral hypoglycemics taken by mouth, and insulin which is injected into the body.
Oral Hypoglycemics
Decreases liver production
Helps with response to insulin
Glipizinzide
Glyburide
Nateglinide
Repaglinide
Increase insulin production by the pancreas
Lowers blood glucose levels
Rosiglitazone
Saxagliptin
Increases insulin secretion.
Decreases release of glucagons, the pancreatic hormone that raises blood sugar.
Types of Insulin
Your insulin prescription will be determined by a number of factors.
- Type of diabetes
- How often you can check blood sugar
- How often you give injections
- Your age
- Your body's response
- Your lifestyle (diet, daily activities, exercise)
Once or twice per day.
May be given in conjunction with oral medication or bolus insulin.
Intermediate-acting
- starts in 1–3 hrs
- works for 12–16 hrs
- NPH
Long-acting
- starts in 1 hr
- works for 20–26 hrs
- glargine, detemir
Given prior to meals
Usually in conjunction with basal insulin.
Short-Acting
- regular insulin
- starts in 30–60 minutes
- works for 5–8 hrs
Rapid-Acting
- starts in 15 minutes
- works for 3–5 hrs
- lispro, aspart, glulisine
Given twice each day.
Administered prior to breakfast and dinner.
Combination of intermediate-acting with bolus insulin types.
- starts in 30–60 minutes
- work 10–16 hrs
- with or without oral hypoglycemic drugs
Insulin Devices
Several device types are now available to inject insulin rather than using the standard needle and syringe.
Size of a cell phone or deck of playing cards, the insulin pump is worn on a belt or in a pocket.
Gives a steady trickle amount of insulin throughout the day.
Easy to use and disposable.
Some patients claim they are less painful than standard needles.
Predictable insulin levels and actions (long and intermediate-acting insulin are not used with the pump).
Decreases the number of skin punctures.
Insulin is injected fast.
With insulin needles, the syringe stays in the skin for 6 seconds to prevent insulin from leaking back through the injection site.
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