Diabetics do many things to control their blood sugar.
They change their eating habits, exercise, and also go on medication.
In most cases, their doctor chooses the types of medication they feel is best for the patient.
It pays to know more about medication options and which have proven to be more effective in treating either Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes.
Insulin for Type 1
No valid medication options exist for Type 1 diabetics other than insulin.
Those with this type of diabetes have no insulin-producing beta cells in their pancreas so they must have
injected insulin for their muscle and adipose tissue.
Most don’t know that Type 2 diabetics can also be placed on insulin if their long-term use of oral medications hasn’t helped them reach glycemic targets.
The Standard Drug
Metformin is considered the first line of treatment for both those with pre-diabetes and diabetes.
It increases insulin sensitivity by decreasing the liver’s glucose production and lowering sugar absorption in the intestines.
One reason doctors love prescribing metformin is this drug has been the subject of numerous studies, is less expensive, and has been around for a long time.
A Supplement to Metformin
Doctors will prescribe glipizide to patients taking metformin if their A1C isn’t within the target level within three months of using metformin. glipizide stimulates the beta cells to secrete insulin.
Further Down the List
Although there are plenty of late-night pharmaceutical commercials for products like Jardiance, Januvia, and Trulicity, these medications are lower on the list of top 10 diabetes medications, as ranked by pharmacists and doctors.
Jardiance, ranked sixth, is prescribed to those who may have kidney problems because it reduces the risk of kidney disease by 39%.
It also was good for heart patients as it decreased hospitalization rates for those with heart failure by at least 40%.
Januvia ranks seventh and works similarly to glipizide.
However, it is expensive and there are side effects.
Trulicity, which ranks tenth, is new so it needs more research.
Its key advantage is there is one injection a week.
The disadvantages are its high cost and side effects.
Picking the right diabetes medication is important and you must consider your other health ailments and the effect the drug will have on them.
