Why Adherence is Important
All aspects of your diabetes care plan are not created equal. Exercise, healthy eating, regular glucose monitoring and visits to your health care provider are all important. In most cases, proper use of your diabetes medications will have the most powerful impact on your blood glucose management.
If someone has been able to control diabetes with diet and exercise, the doctor may tell them to reduce their medication or stop taking them altogether. Only your doctor will be able to tell you whether you can stop taking medications. As long as the person is able to keep blood sugar levels normal with diet and exercise there may be no need for medicine.
If someone has been able to control diabetes with diet and exercise, the doctor may tell them to reduce their medication or stop taking them altogether. Only your doctor will be able to tell you whether you can stop taking medications. As long as the person is able to keep blood sugar levels normal with diet and exercise there may be no need for medicine.
Diabetes is a progressive disease (which means that it gradually worsens over time) and typically requires some medicinal help at some point. If this happens, remember, you are not failing; your pancreas is. Have compassion with yourself and for your pancreas. You'd be sympathetic to a friend who has a bad heart. Apply that same kindness to yourself. If your health care team recommends medication, it's not because you have failed in your diet and exercise regimen. Instead, know that you need a little extra help to get your blood glucose to lower levels. After all, we take vitamins without much thought and buy beauty products to improve how we look on the outside. If it needs it, why not help our body on the inside too?
It's not necessarily true that you'll be taking pills forever. The key is to get your glucose levels close to or within target ranges as quickly as possible because that will keep you as healthy as possible and help you avoid complications.
This information is a summary from "Your First Year with Diabetes" and has been provided with the permission of the American Diabetes Association.
It is a book that is recommended by the American Diabetes Association for people that have been recently diagnosed with 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.