What is Traditional Treatment?
Medication/Insulin Injections
The best medicine for Type 2 Diabetes, to help reverse the insulin resistance and treat the high blood sugar levels, is being more active and losing the excess fat/weight that is causing all of the previously discussed issues.
Initially, once you've been diagnosed with T2DM, you may not need medication, as lifestyle changes (being more active, eating less of the bad foods and more of the healthier foods) are enough to reverse the condition.
However, at some point, if we do not reverse the T2DM, or your blood sugar levels are quite high (48mmol/L or higher), then medication (tablets) are used to help control your blood sugar, to reduce the risk of long-term complications.
Eventually, usually after several years of being on medication to treat the high blood sugar, many Type 2 Diabetics will require, and become dependant on insulin injections. The reason for this, is that the b-cells that produce insulin in our pancreas, die out due to an excess build up of waste product, meaning our body cannot produce enough insulin.
How is Traditional Treatment used to manage your Diabetes?
Medications are used to control your blood sugar
There are several medications (tablets) that are used to help control your blood sugar levels, and they do so, in different ways. As with all medications, they contain short and long-term side effects or may interact with other medications - your GP surgery will be able to advise you further on these and will ensure that the dosage you are taking is safe.
Taken directly from Diabetes UK:
Metformin (Biguanide)
This tablet is the first diabetes medication prescribed for type 2 diabetes if a healthy diet and physical activity alone hasn’t sufficiently helped to manage blood sugar levels.
There are a number of different tablets in this medication family including gliclazide (Diamicron) and glibenclamide (Daonil). They work mainly by stimulating the pancreas to make more insulin.
The medication is take once or twice a day with or shortly before a meal. They can cause low blood sugar levels and may encourage weight.
They stimulate the cells in the pancreas to make more insulin, helping it to work better.
Similar to sulphonylureas, these tablets stimulate the cells in the pancreas to produce more insulin.They work more quickly than sulphonylureas but only last for a short time, so they need to be taken half an hour before each meal.
Thiazolidinediones (glitazones)
Glitazones reduce insulin resistance and improves sensitivity, allowing the insulin that the body produces to work more effectively. It also helps to protect the cells in the pancreas, which enables them to produce insulin for longer. The only glitazone licensed for use in the UK is Pioglitazone.
Alpha-glucosidase inhibitor (acarbose)
Slows down the intestine’s absorption of starchy foods, which, in turn, slows down any rise in blood sugar levels after eating.
DPP-4 inhibitors (gliptins):
These tablets help your body produce more insulin and reduce the amount of glucose being produced by the liver when it is not needed. This helps lower your blood sugar levels .
These are tablets that reduces the amount of glucose absorbed by your kidneys and your blood.
Some people with type 2 diabetes may also take tablets related to their diabetes, for example, statins or blood pressure tablets.
In regards to medications that you would inject, the main treatment would be insulin; however there is one other diabetes medicine that is prescribed as an injection:
GLP-1s (incretin mimetics):
Increases the level of incretins in the body. Incretins are a type of hormone that help your body produce more insulin when it’s needed and reduce the amount of glucose produced when it’s not needed. They reduce the rate at which the stomach digests food and empties,and can also reduce appetite.
Is Traditional Treatment effective in Reversing your T2DM
No, but these medications, if prescribed, should be taken whilst you work on reversing the T2DM thro
- These medications will help to control your blood sugar, reducing the risk of complications, so it is crucial that you take your medication and do not skip doses.
- At the same time, however, they will not help reverse T2DM through removing the excess fat, reversing the insulin resistance - this is done through weight loss.
- Should you reverse your T2DM by losing a sufficient amount of weight, and maintaining a healthy weight, you will no longer require medication.
- It is normal practice to be taking medication, to control your blood sugar and prevent complications, whilst working on reversing your Diabetes.
It is very important that you take your medication, as prescribed by your doctor, and take steps to lose weight so that you can reverse the Diabetes.