Biguanides decrease how much sugar your liver makes. They decrease how much sugar your intestines absorb, make your body more sensitive to insulin, and help your muscles absorb glucose.
Metformin can also be combined with other drugs for type 2 diabetes. Bromocriptine Cycloset is a dopamine agonist. It may affect rhythms in your body and prevent insulin resistance. DPP-4 inhibitors help the body continue to make insulin. They work by reducing blood sugar without causing hypoglycemia low blood sugar. These drugs can also help the pancreas make more insulin.
These drugs include:. They increase B-cell growth and how much insulin your body uses. They decrease your appetite and how much glucagon your body uses. They also slow stomach emptying. For some people, atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, heart failure, or chronic kidney disease may predominate over their diabetes. These medications help your body release insulin. However, in some cases, they may lower your blood sugar too much. Sodium-glucose transporter SGLT 2 inhibitors work by preventing the kidneys from holding on to glucose.
Instead, your body gets rid of the glucose through your urine. In contrast, pregnant women or women thinking about getting pregnant will have lower blood glucose targets. To find out how your blood glucose specifically responds to your treatment plan, check your blood glucose at different times throughout the day. Blood sugar checks also are a good idea when you are sick or changing activity.
The number of blood sugar checks a day depends upon your individual situation, but most people with type 1 diabetes need to check at least times a day, individuals treated an insulin pump usually need to check more frequently. Oral glucose tolerance test. This test is less commonly used than the others, except during pregnancy. You'll need to fast overnight and then drink a sugary liquid at the doctor's office.
Blood sugar levels are tested periodically for the next two hours. The American Diabetes Association recommends routine screening with diagnostic tests for type 2 diabetes in all adults age 45 or older and in the following groups:.
If you're diagnosed with diabetes, your doctor or health care provider may do other tests to distinguish between type 1 and type 2 diabetes — since the two conditions often require different treatments. Your health care provider will repeat the test A1C levels at least two times a year and when there are any changes in treatment.
Target A1C goals vary depending on your age and other factors. You will also receive regular diagnostic tests to screen for complications of diabetes or comorbid conditions.
These steps will help keep your blood sugar level closer to normal, which can delay or prevent complications. Contrary to popular perception, there's no specific diabetes diet. However, it's important to center your diet around:. Exercise is important for losing weight or maintaining a healthy weight. It also helps with regulating blood sugar levels. Talk to your primary health care provider before starting or changing your exercise program to ensure that activities are safe for you.
Aerobic exercise. Choose an aerobic exercise that you enjoy, such as walking, swimming, biking or running. Adults should aim for 30 minutes or more of moderate aerobic exercise on most days of the week, or at least minutes a week. Children should have 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous aerobic exercise daily. Resistance exercise. Resistance exercise increases your strength, balance and ability to perform activities of daily living more easily. Resistance training includes weightlifting, yoga and calisthenics.
Adults living with type 2 diabetes should aim for two to three sessions of resistance exercise each week. Children should engage in activities that build strength and flexibility at least three days a week. This can include resistance exercises, sports and climbing on playground equipment. Limit inactivity. Breaking up long bouts of inactivity, such as sitting at the computer, can help control blood sugar levels. Take a few minutes to stand, walk around or do some light activity every 30 minutes.
Weight loss results in better control of blood sugar levels, cholesterol, triglycerides and blood pressure. However, the more weight you lose, the greater the benefit to your health and disease management.
Your health care provider or dietitian can help you set appropriate weight-loss goals and encourage lifestyle changes to help you achieve them. Your health care provider will advise you on how often to check your blood sugar level to make sure you remain within your target range.
You may, for example, need to check it once a day and before or after exercise. If you take insulin, you may need to do this multiple times a day.
Monitoring is usually done with a small, at-home device called a blood glucose meter, which measures the amount of sugar in a drop of your blood. You should keep a record of your measurements to share with your health care team.
Continuous glucose monitoring is an electronic system that records glucose levels every few minutes from a sensor placed under your skin. Information can be transmitted to a mobile device such as your phone, and the system can send alerts when levels are too high or too low. If you can't maintain your target blood sugar level with diet and exercise, your doctor may prescribe diabetes medications that help lower insulin levels or insulin therapy. Drug treatments for type 2 diabetes include the following.
Metformin Fortamet, Glumetza, others is generally the first medication prescribed for type 2 diabetes. It works primarily by lowering glucose production in the liver and improving your body's sensitivity to insulin so that your body uses insulin more effectively. Several types of insulin are available. Then the effects of the insulin wear off over the next few hours or so. The chart above gives averages. Your doctor might also recommend premixed insulin, which is a mix of two types of insulin.
Some types of insulin cost more than others, so talk with your doctor about your options if you're concerned about cost. Read about financial help for diabetes care. The way you take insulin may depend on your lifestyle, insurance plan, and preferences.
You may decide that needles are not for you and prefer a different method. Talk with your doctor about the options and which is best for you. Most people with diabetes use a needle and syringe, pen, or insulin pump. Inhalers, injection ports, and jet injectors are less common. You will draw up your dose of insulin from the vial, or bottle, into the syringe. Insulin works fastest when you inject it in your belly, but you should rotate spots where you inject insulin. Other injection spots include your thigh, buttocks, or upper arm.
Some people with diabetes who take insulin need two to four shots a day to reach their blood glucose targets. Others can take a single shot. An insulin pen looks like a pen but has a needle for its point. Some insulin pens come filled with insulin and are disposable. Others have room for an insulin cartridge that you insert and then replace after use. Insulin pens cost more than needles and syringes but many people find them easier to use.
An insulin pump is a small machine that gives you small, steady doses of insulin throughout the day. You wear one type of pump outside your body on a belt or in a pocket or pouch. The insulin pump connects to a small plastic tube and a very small needle. You insert the needle under your skin and it stays in place for several days. Insulin then pumps from the machine through the tube into your body 24 hours a day. You also can give yourself doses of insulin through the pump at mealtimes.
Another type of pump has no tubes and attaches directly to your skin, such as a self-adhesive pod. Another way to take insulin is by breathing powdered insulin from an inhaler device into your mouth. The insulin goes into your lungs and moves quickly into your blood. Inhaled insulin is only for adults with type 1 or type 2 diabetes.
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