Diabetes medications, explained

So, you’ve been diagnosed with diabetes. There’s a good chance your provider will prescribe oral medication or insulin to help treat it.  

That’s because when you have diabetes, your body doesn’t make enough of the hormone insulin. Or your body doesn’t properly use the insulin it makes. As a result, your body doesn’t get the fuel it needs. Taking medicine is an important part of your treatment plan.   

To manage your diabetes, it’s also key to check your blood sugar levels, eat a healthy diet, be active on most days, and manage stress. 

Without proper treatment, diabetes can lead to problems, including:  

• Fatigue    
• Infections 
• Vision problems and even blindness 
• Kidney disease 
• Heart disease or stroke 
• Nerve problems, like numbness in your feet 

Your provider will prescribe medication that works for you. Here’s what to know about the two main types.     

Oral medicine for diabetes   

There’s a long list of diabetes medications that are taken by mouth. These are for people with type 2 diabetes whose bodies still produce some insulin. (There are no oral medications for people with type 1 diabetes.)  

Sometimes oral diabetes medicines are combined and work in different ways to lower your blood sugar level. For example, oral diabetes medicine may be used with insulin to get the best control of your blood sugar levels. Most of these medications help to:   

• Make your tissues more sensitive to insulin. That helps blood sugar enter the muscles, fat, and liver more easily.   
• Prompt the pancreas to release more insulin to improve blood sugar levels  
• Lower the amount of sugar the intestines absorb 
• Help the kidneys remove excess sugar 
• Lower the amount of sugar released by the liver   

If you’re taking oral medication to manage diabetes, remember these tips:   

• Get familiar with your diabetes medicines. Learn their names and when and how much to take. Also, learn the side effects and how they might interact with other medicines. That can help you stay on track with your medication schedules.  
• Talk with your provider about your medicine habits. Don’t be afraid to say if you’re having trouble following your treatment plan. Your provider might be able to reduce the number of medications. This can make it easier to stay on top of your pills.   
• Follow a healthy eating and exercise plan. Diet and exercise help improve blood sugar levels. In fact, people who stick to a regular exercise and healthy-eating plan are sometimes able to take less medication or even stop taking it altogether.  Your diabetes care team will recommend a plan for you. 

Insulin for diabetes   

Insulin is the main medicine that treats type 1 diabetes. It is given by injection. People with type 1 diabetes can’t produce insulin on their own. But some people with type 2 diabetes may also be candidates for insulin therapy. 

Insulin therapy may be recommended for type 2 diabetes when other steps aren’t doing enough to control blood sugar levels. Those steps can include exercising, taking oral medications, losing weight, and making healthy nutrition changes.   

Women with gestational diabetes (diabetes during pregnancy) may also take insulin.  

If your provider recommends that you take insulin, ask about the options. There are several different kinds of insulin, including:    

• Rapid-acting insulin 
  Begins to work: In about 15 minutes 
  Peaks: 1-2 hours after injection 
  Lasts: 2-4 hours 
• Regular or short-acting insulin   
  Begins to work: Within 30 minutes of injection 
  Peaks: 2-3 hours after injection 
  Lasts: 3-6 hours 
• Intermediate-acting insulin 
  Begins to work: 2-4 hours after injection  
  Peaks: 4-12 hours after reaching the bloodstream 
  Lasts: 12-18 hours 
• Long-acting insulin 
  Begins to work: Several hours after injection 
  Peaks: It does not peak 
  Lasts: Up to 24 hours 
• Ultra-long-acting insulin   
  Begins to work: 6 hours after injection 
  Peaks: It does not peak 
  Lasts: 36 hours or longer 

Insulin can be injected via a syringe, pen device, or pump. There is also an inhaled version.   

Other medicines for diabetes, beyond insulin  

There are other diabetes medicines that help control blood sugar. These include:   

•  Amylin analogs. These are used for both type 1 and type 2 treatments. Amylin analogs are injected before meals and help lower blood sugar levels. They are also called amylin agonists. 
• GLP-1 agonists. These are used for type 2 diabetes. They are often prescribed to people who haven’t been able to control their condition with oral medication. GLP-1s help lower post-meal blood sugar levels.  Most GLP-1s are given by injection, and one also comes in tablet form. 

An advantage of these medicines? They can decrease your appetite, which can help with weight loss. Not everyone with diabetes needs to lose weight. But for those who do, these medications can be another tool for reaching that goal.   

 Medications for other conditions   

Diabetes can make some conditions, like  high cholesterol and high blood pressure, worse. So you may be on medication to help control these problems too. For example, your provider may prescribe statins if you have high cholesterol. Or an ACE inhibitor or beta blockers if you have high blood pressure.  

That’s why it’s super important to take all your medicines as directed. And to get your diabetes under control.   

Being diagnosed with diabetes and learning how to manage it can feel overwhelming at first. Taking the right medication is one tool that can help you take charge of your health.      

Article sources: 

Diabetes and treatment overview: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Cleveland Clinic; National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases  
Diabetes and heart disease: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases 
Type 2 diabetes medications: American Diabetes Association 
Insulin basics: American Diabetes Association; Mayo Clinic 
Amylin analogs: Drugs.com 
GLP-1 agonists: Cleveland Clinic