Medications & Treatments

Your healthcare team will create a diabetes treatment plan for you which may include insulin or oral medications or both. Many people need to take diabetes medicine to keep their blood sugar near normal. If you have type 1 diabetes, your treatment plan will include a balanced diet, exercise and insulin injections. If you have type 2 diabetes, you may take insulin injections but more common treatments are diet, exercise and oral medications.

These medications are available by prescription only. You should talk to your healthcare professional about which medication may be right for you and what side effects, if any, it may have.

Insulin

Many different types of insulin are available for the treatment of diabetes. You may need only one type of insulin, or you may have to mix different types together in a single injection.

Because insulin packaging looks alike, you need to make sure you choose the right insulin. The different types of insulin look different in their bottles:

• Rapid- and short-acting insulin is clear
• Intermediate- and long-acting insulin is cloudy

You also need to keep in mind how your insulin works:

Tips

• Take your insulin everyday as prescribed by your doctor. Do not stop taking your insulin when you are sick unless your doctor tells you to. Your insulin dose may need to be changed when you are sick, injured, have an infection or are emotionally distressed. During these times, you should test your blood sugar closely and call your doctor for needed insulin changes.
• Follow your doctor's instructions when changing insulin doses.
• Check the date on the insulin bottle to be sure it has not expired.
• Before taking insulin, check the vials for frosty rings around the neck of the bottle, clumping or insulin that will not mix. Do not use the insulin in these situations. Do not change the brand of insulin without asking your doctor.
• Keep the bottle of insulin that you are using at room temperature. Keep a spare bottle in the refrigerator. Do not expose insulin to extreme hot or cold temperatures.
• Insulin should be at room temperature before injecting to reduce skin irritation.
• Insulin is absorbed more consistently and works better when injected in your abdomen.
• Rapid-acting or short-acting insulin should be drawn up first when mixing with intermediate-acting insulin.
• Rapid-acting and short-acting insulin should never be taken without eating a meal. Your meal should be eaten immediately after taking rapid-acting insulin and within 30 minutes after taking short-acting insulin.
• Have a glucagon kit available in case you have a severe low blood sugar and become unconscious. Glucagon is given by injection and family members should be taught how to use it. Glucagon makes the liver produce glucose to raise your blood sugar. A prescription is needed. 

Oral Medications

Some people with type 2 diabetes need medication to control their blood sugars in addition to diet and exercise. Several different medications may be needed because each one works a different way. These medications are available by prescription only. You should talk to your healthcare professional about which oral medications may be right for you.