Proper nutrition, exercise, and stress management are all parts of a self-management plan for people with diabetes.  In addition to self-management, people with type 2 diabetes often times need medication to control blood glucose.

Oral medications will not cure diabetes but they work in different ways to help lower blood glucose in people with type 2 diabetes.  Some people may only need one medication while others may need a combination of two or three medications.  Some diabetes pills also come in a single pill that combines two medications. 

Oral diabetes medications work to lower blood glucose by…..

• Decreasing the amount of glucose released by the liver
• Stimulating the pancreas to produce more insulin
• Making the body’s cell more receptive to insulin
• Slowing the digestion and absorption of carbohydrates

Over time your diabetes will probably change and what you are doing today may not work.  That does not mean that you have done anything wrong, it can just be part of the disease process.  At this point it is important to look at what adjustments need to be made.  If you are doing everything you can related to nutrition and exercise it may require a change in medication and possibly taking insulin.  Insulin must be taken by an injection.  When a person with type 2 diabetes needs to take insulin injections it does not mean failure, it is just another way to treat type 2 diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes is a complex disease so it is important to work with your team to manage your diabetes.  Diabetes educators are part of that team and we are anxious to help you and make life with diabetes a little easier.