5 types of diabetes treatment to control blood sugar

Diabetes mellitus is not a disease that can be cured. However, having diabetes doesn't mean you can't live a normal life. You can stay active in your daily routine as long as you try to keep your blood sugar levels normal. In addition to changes in healthier lifestyles, treatment with pills, insulin injections, and natural medicines are also solutions to control symptoms and prevent dangerous complications of diabetes mellitus.

Should diabetics take medication and insulin shots?

Diabetes mellitus is a disease consisting of a collection of symptoms caused by high blood sugar (glucose) levels. Therefore, the main goal of treatment for diabetes is to control blood sugar levels within the normal range.

Treatment for diabetics can vary depending on the health condition, the severity of diabetes symptoms, age, the body's ability to receive drugs, and the type of diabetes you are experiencing.

The main cause of type 1 diabetes is the lack or absence of the production of the hormone insulin, which helps the absorption of blood sugar into energy in the body's cells.

This condition causes people with type 1 diabetes must undergo treatment with insulin drugs to replace the insulin hormone needed by the body.

Meanwhile, type 2 diabetes is more caused by an unhealthy lifestyle. That's why, sometimes they don't need to take medication or insulin injections to lower blood sugar levels.

Treatment for type 2 diabetes with medication or insulin injections is usually given when the diagnosis of diabetes shows that blood sugar levels are already high. You may also need to take medication when your blood sugar levels don't drop even after living a healthy lifestyle.

Treatment options for diabetes mellitus

The following are various treatments that are effective in controlling blood sugar levels and preventing complications for diabetics:

1. Insulin therapy

Insulin therapy is the main treatment for type 1 diabetes mellitus. Insulin itself is a hormone produced in the pancreas. Insulin treatment is needed when the pancreas is unable to produce insulin.

Reporting from the American Diabetes Association, insulin can also be a treatment option for type 2 diabetes.

Many types of insulin are used to help control sugar levels in the treatment of diabetes. Types of insulin are distinguished based on how fast insulin works and how long insulin can maintain blood sugar levels in the body.

Here are some types of insulin for diabetes mellitus that you need to know.

Direct effect insulin (rapid-acting insulin)
Short effect insulin or regular insulin (short acting insulin)
Moderate effect insulin (intermediate acting insulin)
Long-lasting effect insulin (long acting insulin)

Your doctor may ask you to use insulin before or after meals. In addition, the amount of insulin needed for each person can also be different. This is adjusted to your age, patient's condition, physical activity, and how severe your diabetes is.

Insulin therapy for diabetes is available in several devices with different ways of using insulin and the most common is suture insulin, but you can also use an insulin pen or insulin pump. Other less common insulin tools are insulin suction, insulin ports, and jet injector .

2. Diabetes medication

Sometimes, a healthy diet and regular exercise are not enough to keep blood sugar levels stable. That is why, diabetics (especially type 2 DM) need drugs to help control blood glucose.

There are several types of drugs — usually in tablet form, but some are given by injection — that can be used for diabetes.

Most of the treatment for type 2 diabetes uses the biguanid class of drugs, such as metformin. This drug works by lowering the glucose produced in the liver while helping to increase insulin sensitivity so that sugar is more easily processed by the body's cells for energy.

Treatment of diabetes mellitus can be done with one type of drug. However, if it does not work, several combinations of diabetes drugs may be needed.

Other diabetes medications can work in different ways in controlling blood sugar. Other drugs commonly used to treat diabetes include:

Sulfonylureas
Pioglitazone
Gliptin
Agonist
Acarbose
Nateglinide
Repaglinide

3. Complementary (alternative) medicine

There is also an alternative diabetes treatment that serves to complement and support the main treatment, not substitute.

Generally, this diabetes complementary treatment consists of using traditional natural ingredients, such as ginseng, cinnamon, and insulin leaves. This natural method can help overcome the symptoms of diabetes and lower blood sugar levels.

However, you need to be careful when using natural diabetes medications. The reason is, not all natural remedies provide effective results for everyone. For patients who have allergies or chronic diseases such as hypertension and heart can be at risk of experiencing dangerous reactions.

Therefore, always consult your doctor before using natural diabetes medications.

4. Healthy lifestyle

In addition, of course the treatment of diabetes mellitus with insulin therapy, medical drugs, and natural ingredients must be accompanied by a lifestyle that can keep blood sugar levels normal. In fact, it is a major pillar in the treatment of type 2 diabetes.

If you have type 2 diabetes and it's still in its early stages, you will usually be asked to change your lifestyle first before switching to drugs. Some healthy habits a person with diabetes can do to control their blood sugar include:

Healthy and regular diet
Eating regularly with balanced portions is the key to proper dietary rules for diabetes. Irregular eating patterns actually cause blood sugar levels to become even more unstable

Sports
Diabetes treatment coupled with regular exercise can help the insulin hormone work so that it is easier to lower blood sugar. Doing exercise for diabetes can also help people with diabetes who are overweight reach their ideal body weight.

Routine daily blood sugar test
Diabetics also need to regularly check blood sugar levels. For diabetics who are undergoing diabetes treatment with insulin, it is necessary to check blood sugar more frequently in a day. Consult your doctor how many times and when to check your blood sugar every day.

5. Operation

In more severe conditions, insulin injections, medications, and a healthy lifestyle are sometimes not enough to control blood sugar levels.

To overcome this, it requires treatment through surgery. The type of surgery performed can vary depending on the severity of the disease or the condition that causes diabetes.

According to the National Institute of Diabetes, the following are the types of surgery that can be done as a way to treat diabetes:

Bariatric surgery
This procedure, also known as weight loss surgery, is common in diabetes cases caused by obesity. A person who undergoes this surgery usually does not need treatment for diabetes mellitus again after blood sugar levels return to normal.
Pancreas transplant
Pancreas transplantation is generally performed on people with type 1 diabetes who have damage to the pancreas so that they cannot produce the hormone insulin. In this operation, the damaged insulin-producing cells are replaced with transplanted cells.
Artificial pancreas
This treatment is performed by placing an artificial pancreatic device. The artificial pancreas works through a system that can monitor glucose levels and insulin production in the body.