Important information about diabetes treatment

Important information about diabetes treatment

Diabetes treatment: It depends on your help!

The diabetes treatment includes several combinable possibilities. An essential part of the therapy is that you strive for a normal weight, move more and keep a conscious and healthy diet. At a certain stage, medicines called antidiabetics play an important role in normalizing blood sugar levels. While physical fitness and normal weight work in the long run, unfortunately, medications have only a short-term effect. H. they must be taken daily. However, many patients may find it difficult to take the recommended diabetes medications regularly and correctly. Because if the feeling says you're healthy, regular tablet intake does not seem necessary. It may also happen that the intake of medication is simply forgotten or deliberately omitted for fear of side effects. However, decreasing adherence to therapy means that diabetes and also secondary diseases can continue to develop. And that's why your adherence to therapy is extremely important in order to treat your diabetes successfully!

Diabetes-step therapy

Diabetes treatment is composed of different stages, depending on the severity and disease development.

Level 1 (basic therapy, also applies to all further treatment levels)

For those affected, it is important to obtain comprehensive information about the illness and treatment measures through training and education. The first treatment steps often mean a certain change in the previous lifestyle. These include nutrition, weight loss and increased physical activity as well as smoking weaning. If these measures fail to normalize the HbA1c within 3-6 months, then you move to level 2.

Stage 2 (oral antidiabetics)

The drug-based initial therapy usually begins with an antidiabetic, which is taken as a tablet, that is orally. Usually, the substance metformin is given first, provided there are no intolerances or contraindications (contraindications). At defined times, the attending physician checks whether the medication leads to a sufficiently high blood sugar reduction. Can be treated with an oral antidiabetic such. For example, if metformin does not normalize HbA1c within 3-6 months, follow step 3.

Stage 3 (combination of two oral antidiabetics or insulin therapy)

At the third stage of therapy, various medications are combined to achieve adequate blood sugar reduction. It is recommended that substances whose effects complement each other. As a rule, metformin is retained as a combination partner and administered together with another oral antidiabetic of another substance class. Some of these drug combinations are also available as a fixed combination preparation, so you can reduce the amount of tablets. In certain cases, the doctor may also decide to prescribe insulin - but nowadays insulin is often given only when the effect of oral and other antidiabetics is insufficient.

Level 4 (Intensified Insulin and Combination Therapy Form)

If the HbA1c level can not be lowered by the third-stage therapy, an intensified insulin and combination therapy regimen will be initiated in step 4. This means that insulin is the cornerstone of therapy and it is given to various insulins, possibly in combination with other antidiabetics. The insulin dose is divided into two components: once an insulin administered independently of the meals as well as an insulin additionally administered in a meal-time-dependent manner.

Regular controll

Diabetes treatment also includes follow-up, that is regular monitoring of blood pressure, feet and blood glucose levels. The latter helps to determine if and to what extent the treatment suggests, or if any change z. B. the dose or drug combination is necessary. The control of the feet is very important to prevent the development of a so-called diabetic foot. Since diabetes is often associated with high blood pressure, its control should also become routine. If necessary, it may also be necessary to initiate appropriate therapy for concomitant diseases.