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.

Sulphonylureas such as chlorpropamide, glibenclamide and glimepiride, are one form of diabetes treatment. They are taken in tablet form once or twice a day, to stimulate natural insulin production in the body. They have a number of side effects, including nausea, weight gain, and an upset stomach, and occasionally a lumpy red skin rash. Sulphonylureas work over a long period of time and can make the blood sugar drop too low, causing hypoglycaemia. For this reason they are rarely prescribed for elderly diabetics.

An alternative diabetes treatment drug, which limits the manufacture of glucose in the liver, is biguanide. This also helps to carry insulin to the body's cells, and comes in a variety of forms including metformin. The side effects associated with this diabetes treatment drug are fairly mild. Biguanide can cause nausea and diarrhoea, but these can be reduced when tablets are taken with food, and rapidly disappear when the treatment is taken regularly over a period of time.

Thiazolidinediones are a relatively new diabetes type 2 treatment drug, that comes in two distinct forms, rosiglitazone and pioglitazone. This drug is designed to overcome insulin resistance in the body, enabling type 2 diabetics to use their naturally produced insulin more effectively. Side effects of this diabetes treatment include weight gain, fluid retention and headaches. It can also lead to upper respiratory track infections in rare cases.

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.

An alpha glucose inhibitor, such as acarbose, is a diabetes treatment that can be taken three times a day. It slows down the rate at which starchy food is absorbed into the blood stream from the intestine, meaning that blood sugar levels rise more slowly after a meal. Your doctor is likely to prescribe a reduced dose of one tablet a day at first, because this will cut down on the side effects such as bloating, wind and diarrhoea.

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.articlemonk.com

Lisa Janse is a professional writer who specializes in health topics. Learn more about coping with Diabetes by reading more practical and interesting articles on Diabetes Diets at www.sugardiabetes.net

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