Medication
Insulin and oral medications are powerful tools that doctors prescribe to help many people control their diabetes. In people with type 1 diabetes, insulin must be taken daily. In many people with type 2 diabetes, doctors may prescribe pills and/or insulin in addition to diet and physical activity to help keep your blood sugar under control.
Diabetes is a progressive disease. This means that as you go through life, your diabetes will change. So will the ways it needs to be treated. Moving to new types of treatments, such as medication, doesn’t mean that you’ve done something wrong. It just means that your doctor has chosen to equip you with the powerful tools necessary to keep your blood sugar levels healthy.
Pills prescribed for type 2 diabetes help you control your blood sugar by making your insulin work better or by delaying the breakdown of the sugars and starches you eat. Some of these pills, either alone or when used with other treatments, may lower your blood sugar too much. Be sure to test your blood sugar regularly and let your doctor know if you often have blood sugar that is too low.
If you have type 2 diabetes, your doctor may also prescribe insulin injections to keep your blood sugar from getting too high. The extra insulin helps lower your blood sugar to where it should be. Be sure to ask your doctor, or another member of your health care team to show you how to give yourself an insulin shot.