Medications to Treat Diabetes
Many people with type 2 diabetes, especially those in the early stages, can manage their blood sugar effectively through diet, weight loss, and physical activity. But if diet and exercise alone are not adequately controlling your blood sugar, medications or insulin therapy may be able to help.
Most prescription medications for type 2 diabetes are taken orally, as tablets or pills. Others are given as injections before meals. Diabetes medications may be used individually or in combinations of two or more.
Insulin therapy is used when prescription medications and healthy habits are not sufficiently controlling blood sugar levels, which usually occurs when your pancreas has stopped producing insulin or as a result of a serious infection or other illness. There are several different types of insulin that may be used either individually or in combination.
Keep in mind diabetes is a progressive condition, which means it continues to advance over time, even with good management. And as a result, your treatment plan is likely to change in response to your needs, your body's ability to regulate glucose, and new developments in diabetes care.
