Diabetes Treatment
Diabetes Medications- Will I Need Insulin?
If you are diagnosed with Diabetes Mellitus Type I,
also known as Insulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitus (IDDM), the pancreas
produces little to no insulin. Type I diabetics may need to check their
blood glucose level several times a day and give themselves insulin
injections prior to each meal. They will also need to use diet and
exercise to help control blood glucose levels. Oral medications are not
effective when treating Type I Diabetes Mellitus.
Diabetes Mellitus Type II is also known as Non-Insulin Dependent
Diabetes Mellitus (NIDDM) or adult onset diabetes. 90% of people with
diabetes fall into this category. With Type II diabetes the pancreas
produces normal to high normal levels of insulin, but the body is not
able to use it correctly. These patients are usually managed with diet,
exercise and oral medications, a small number of Type II diabetics may
need insulin.
Both Type I and Type II diabetics may need to add
or increase insulin use when they are exposed to stress. Stress causes a
reaction in the central nervous system called the fight or flight
response. This response causes a release of hormones in order to make
energy available, in case we need to react quickly. The end result for
diabetics is too much glucose in the blood stream, or hyperglycemia.
Hyperglycemia can have a rapid onset and can be life-threatening if not
treated with insulin.
Illness is a major source of stress for
diabetics and can be both a physical stress and a mental stress. Stress
can be either short or long-term but both produce the same effects
within the body. Long-term or continuous stressors (like having 3
teenage girls or having to drive to work and back every day in heavy
traffic) are the most damaging to the other organs and systems within
the body.