Major Ways To Fight Diabetes

Other Medications

Other medications may be used for a diabetes patient's treatment in addition to insulin, or they may be used alone to manage the disease. Type 1 diabetes patients have to take some form of insulin because they cannot make their own. Individuals with type 2 diabetes, however, have more flexibility with non-insulin options. These individuals may be able to manage their disease with healthy dietary choices, regular exercise, and non-insulin medications. Non-insulin medications commonly used to help treat diabetes work by several different mechanisms. Some medications reduce the amount of glucose the individual's liver produces to help their body utilize insulin more effectively. Another type of medication sometimes used to help type 2 diabetes patients works by stimulating the cells in the pancreas to release insulin. In addition, the kidneys are responsible for the reabsorption of some glucose back into the blood. Some diabetes medications can inhibit this process and allow more glucose to be excreted through the patient's urine. This glucose excretion helps lower blood sugar levels. Medications used in the treatment of diabetes may need to be combined in many cases to manage the disease effectively.