“for people who need insulin, it [could] be insulin plus some other drugs. it might be two different kinds of insulin, one at night, one with meals,” he says. “and some people are taking a bunch of other drugs for their comorbidities. it’s a complex problem and tackling it with several drugs from different angles is probably better than trying to find one magic bullet.”
the following are the more common medications used to treat type 2 diabetes. diabetes canada goes into more depth on each medicine
here
.
insulin
insulin is a naturally occurring hormone made by your pancreas that helps your body turn food into energy and control blood sugar levels, according to
diabetes canada
. without insulin, sugar builds up in the bloodstream, leading to serious health issues.
if your body can’t make enough insulin on its own, or use the insulin it does make effectively, you’ll need to inject synthetic insulin with a pen, pump or syringe. there are many types of insulin — fast-acting, long-lasting, and short-acting — and your health-care team will recommend which type will work best for you.
regardless, you’ll need to check your blood sugar levels regularly, since they vary throughout the day, to ensure they remain in the target range and to avoid hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar.
hypoglycemia occurs when the amount of food you eat is not balanced with your dose of insulin, when you’re active without having eaten enough, if you’ve taken too much insulin or your dose or type of insulin has changed.
symptoms
can include sweating, trembling, nausea, headache, weakness, and anxiety.