Insulin: Major Causes Of Resistance And Why

Certain Medications

Certain medications can have an influence on an individual's development of insulin resistance. All medications have side effects, but particular medications have the side effect of interfering with an individual's natural metabolism and causing high blood sugar. Insulin triggers an increase of glucose transport proteins on a cell that facilitates the transfer of glucose out of the bloodstream and into the cell. However, the transport proteins will not work without enough potassium in the blood. Some medications cause a disruption in the healthy potassium levels, resulting in high blood sugar levels because the glucose cannot transfer out of the bloodstream into the cells. Medications that reduce potassium in the blood include numerous antimicrobials, beta2-receptor agonists, various diuretics, some laxatives, mineralocorticoids, glucocorticoids, and xanthines. Beta blockers are a type of medication commonly prescribed to treat hypertension, angina, and heart disease. Beta blockers work through a mechanism that interferes with the release of insulin from the pancreas even when blood sugar levels are elevated.

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