Diabetes Treatment
Here Are Some Medications For Diabetes
Diabetes is a very serious problem which
continues throughout the life. There are many different types of
medications available to treat diabetes. Each type of medicine has its
own way of working. Often, two or more types of medications are combined
to get the best effect with fewest side-effects. Here are a few
medications which are used for the treatment of diabetes:
1) Sulfonylureas: These drugs stimulate pancreas to make more
insulin.
2) Biguanides: It decreases the amount of glucose produced by your
liver.
3) Alpha-glucosidase inhibitors: These agents slower down the
absorption of the starches that you eat which slows down the
production of glucose.
4) Thiazolidinediones: These agents enhance your sensitivity to
insulin.
5) Meglitinides: These drugs also stimulate pancreas to make more
insulin.
6) D-phenylalanine derivatives: These agents stimulate the
production of insulin more quickly.
7) Amylin synthetic derivatives: Amylin is a naturally occurring
hormone which is secreted by the pancreas along with insulin. An
amylin derivative is prescribed when blood sugar control is not
achieved despite optimal insulin therapy. As a subcutaneous injection,
pramlintide is administered along with insulin. It helps achieve lower
blood sugar levels after meals. It also reduces the fluctuation of
blood sugar levels throughout the day, and improves hemoglobin A1C
levels.
8) Incretin mimetics: Incretin mimetics work by promoting insulin
secretion by the pancreas. Exenatide (Byetta) is an approved medicine
which is prescribed for diabetes mellitus type 2, when other agents
such as metformin or sulfonylurea alone fail to gain control over
blood sugar level.
9) Insulins: In the United States, human insulin is the only type
of insulin which is available. It is better than animal-derived
varieties of insulin. It causes less allergic reactions. Some of the
rapid-acting insulins include Insulin glulisine (Apidra), Inhaled
insulin (Exubera), Regular insulin (Humulin R, Novolin R), and Insulin
lispro (Humalog). Names of some of the Intermediate-acting insulins
are- Isophane insulin, neutral protamine Hagedorn (NPH), and Insulin
zinc (Lente). Whereas, some of the long-acting insulins are- Insulin
detemir (Levemir), Extended insulin zinc insulin (Ultralente), and
Insulin glargine (Lantus).