Diabetes Diabetes Treatment

Oral Medicines for Type 2 Diabetes

Type 2 diabetes is the type of diabetes characterized by insulin resistance, in which the body is still able to make some insulin, but not enough for the body to handle sugar properly. It is usually treated with diet control, weight reduction, oral agents, or insulin. Having type 2 diabetes is often overwhelming for my patients. There are so many dos and don’ts, so many things you have to keep track of—like checking your eyes, checking your blood pressure, checking your cholesterol, checking your feet. There is also a lot to learn—how to count carbohydrates, how to predict what will make your blood sugar go up and down. The best advice I can give you is to find a doctor who you like and trust, someone who can take the time to go over all of his or her recommendations in detail. If you are lucky enough to have a diabetes team available, that’s even better. I work with both a nurse educator and a nutritionist as a team, to help our patients take control of their diabetes.

One positive thing about having diabetes in the year 2000 is that we have a lot of drugs we can use to help you get your blood sugars back to normal. This is extremely good news for you, because if you keep your blood sugar levels close to normal, you can prevent all of the terrible complications of diabetes. You should demand that your doctor help you get your blood sugar levels to normal—don’t let him or her tell you you’re doing fine when your blood sugars are still high.

Keep in mind that drugs are not magic. If you are taking a drug for diabetes control, it is still essential that you follow a good diet and get daily exercise. These two elements of diabetes control are the pillar on which all other diabetes treatment rests.
 

Keeping the Blood Sugars Close to Normal

I tell my patients that their blood sugar in the morning should be between 80 to 120 mg/dL before they eat, 80 percent of the time. In other words, since there will always be some daily variation in everyone’s blood sugar, 80 percent of the times that you’re checking your sugar, let’s say, during a week, your sugar should be in the 80 to 120 range. A normal blood sugar is actually between 60 to 105 mg/dL in the morning before you eat. So aiming for 80 to 120 is close to the normal range. Many of my patients are shocked when I tell them this. They are used to having blood sugars of 150 to 200 mg/dL or even higher when they wake up in the morning. That is too high.

After meals, your blood sugar should not go higher than about 150 mg/dL. You should check it about two hours after meals.

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