Type 2 Diabetes Treatments Your Doctor Might Recommend

Health & Medical Blog

One reason it's important to keep up with routine wellness physicals is so your doctor can catch signs of type 2 diabetes early on, when it's easier to control with diet and exercise. Your doctor can order an A1C blood test that shows if you have had consistently high blood sugars over the previous three months and how high they were. High blood sugar is a sign of type 2 diabetes, but the cause of the condition is insulin resistance, which your doctor takes into consideration when recommending treatment. Here are some type 2 diabetes treatments your doctor might consider.

Lifestyle Changes

If your blood values aren't too far out of range when your condition is first discovered, your doctor may advise you to make lifestyle changes first and see if those can improve your condition. You may be sent to a dietitian to learn about the foods you can eat and the ones you should avoid so that you don't spike your blood sugar. In addition, you may need to learn about meal timing so that your blood sugar levels stay steady rather than swinging between low and high.

You might also be encouraged to exercise more frequently. A healthy diet and exercise can help you lose weight, which could help with your diabetes and insulin resistance. Exercise can also help with your metabolism, which will help you manage your blood sugars. Your doctor might also prescribe a glucose monitor and strips so that you can check your blood sugar daily. This helps you see how your diet and exercise affect your blood sugar so that you will learn to make good lifestyle choices. Also, you can monitor for sugar levels that get high enough to warrant a call to your doctor.

Medications

There are a variety of medications your doctor can try for your type 2 diabetes. These drugs act in various ways to either increase your sensitivity to insulin or lower your blood sugar. You may need to start taking medication if your blood sugar keeps creeping up or if it stays too high even when you eat right and exercise. Since type 2 diabetes often gets progressively worse, you'll need regular doctor visits to monitor how well the drugs are working and to adjust the dose when necessary.

Insulin

Insulin isn't always necessary for the treatment of type 2 diabetes, but sometimes it's an effective choice in treatments. You may take a long-acting insulin, but there is a quick-acting insulin option as well. Other diabetes medications can be taken by mouth, but insulin has to be injected. If you start insulin, you may need to take classes so you can learn how to inject your medication and how to use it. It is possible for insulin to drive your blood sugar too low, so you'll need to know how to cope if that happens.

To learn more about type 2 diabetes treatment options, contact a provider of these services near you today.

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