Medication

What medication do I need?

Some people with type 2 diabetes manage their blood glucose with changes to their diet and exercise only. However, many other people need medications such as pills or insulin to keep their blood glucose in the target range.

Q Do you know who needs to inject insulin?
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Nearly half of all people with type 2 diabetes will end up injecting insulin. The best way to avoid this is through diet and exercise.

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Nearly half of all people with type 2 diabetes will end up injecting insulin. The best way to avoid this is through diet and exercise.

Managing blood glucose with medication

Your health care team will guide you on this but there are some important points to focus on.

  1. Make sure you record your blood glucose levels accurately in a log and share this with your care team. They will use this to make adjustments to your medication dosage and timing.
  2. Follow your care team's advice for taking medication as closely as possible. Make sure you know what to do if you forget to take a dose or your blood glucose is higher or lower than your target range.
  3. Never take less medication than your care team has recommended to save money or because you are feeling better. This will cause your blood glucose to rise.
  4. Watch out for the expiration date on medication and how to store it. If the medication spoils it can be dangerous and may not work properly to control your blood glucose. Read the label or ask your pharmacist to find out how to store your medication.

This information was reproduced from the "Complete Guide to Diabetes" with the permission of the American Diabetes Association.

It is a comprehensive book and recommended by the American Diabetes Association for those people that want to learn more about diabetes.

Click on the image to go to the American Diabetes Association bookstore.

Note: Care4life has no commercial interest in any of the books or resources it recommends.