Knowing the Different Types of Diabetes Treatment Drugs

When we think of diabetes treatment drugs, insulin is usually the first word that springs to mind. However, many Type 2 diabetics do not need to take insulin to control their blood sugar levels, at least not in the early stages. There are a wide variety of diabetes treatment drugs available in tablet form that your doctor is likely to prescribe before you reach the stage where insulin is necessary. A few of the type 2 diabetes treatments available are discusses below, along with their potential side effects.

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.

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.

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.

At some point most type 2 diabetics will find that they do need to switch to insulin to treat their condition. This is often because after many years of diabetes treatment drugs the pancreas is no longer able to produce sufficient insulin. Although the idea of insulin injections can be terrifying to some people, the needles used are actually quite small as the injection occurs just under the skin. Insulin is injected into the stomach, buttocks or thighs, and the injection sites are varied to reduce insulin build up. For those that can't face injections, the switch form diabetes treatment drugs to insulin can be eased by the use of an inhaler or insulin pump.

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

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