When to start anti diabetic drugs?

Diabetes can be such a buzzkill! All that sugar you crave just doesn’t compute, chummer. It can be tough keeping those pesky blood glucose levels down and maintaining your health at optimal levels. But don’t fret – there are plenty of anti-diabetic drugs to choose from; the hard part is knowing when to take them. Read on for some practical advice!

Understanding Diabetes

So before we get into the nitty-gritty, let’s have a history lesson on what diabetes really is all about. The word “diabetes” has Greek origins meaning “siphon,” or “to pass through.” What? Yes, it turns out ancient Greeks thought it was a water-borne disease since patients had excessive urine production (which was sweet-smelling) from high blood sugars.

Diabetes Mellitus (DM) comes in two forms: Type 1 & Type 2 DM depending on its etiology {etiology means cause}. Type 1 DM occurs due to an autoimmune reaction where our own immune system mistakenly kills insulin-producing cells in the pancreas leading ultimately to insulin dependence throughout our lifetime {that sucks}.

On the other side of parallel universe lies Type 2 DM which constitutes for masses i.e., around ninety percent (90%) cases worldwide! Here, lifestyle factors like faulty diet choices (think pizzas with extra cheese), sedentary living style coupled with genetic predisposition leads to deranged metabolism and eventually needs medical intervention via pills{wait for it…}or injectable medicines.

It’s important ALWAYS-ALWAYS-ALWAYS (!!) keep tabs on what type diabetes one has until hell freezes over because treatment differs wildly for each category/category/WAY-out-there group 🥴🥴

With that said, question still remains…

To Medicate Or Not To Medicate

As Shakespeare famously wrote, to be or not to be—that is the question. Since DM causes a constellation of problems- cardio-metabolic issues involving both the heart and the blood vessels which can lead to stroke and organ damage respectively; it’s crucial taking anti-diabetic medications OR debutting with lifestyle interventions if one suffers from this condi-shun.

Lifestyle Interventions:

When someone first receives their diabetes diagnosis, doctors usually recommend ways they can manage its symptoms through healthy lifestyle habits. These include:

  • Eating well-Balanced diet comprising all essential macro-and micronutrients
  • Cutting-out processed foods🧀 🍔🌮 / Fast-food 🤢/ Junk food… basically anything that makes life worth living.
  • Regular exercise
  • Shedding those extra pounds(if overweight)

These practices help slow down the progression (or even better) reverse Type 2 DM in some people 😘😘

{PROTIP: Maintaining A Healthy Lifestyle Is Always Good For Everyone}

Anti-Diabetic Drugs:

If managing your glucose levels via 💝 LIFESTYLE💝 choices doesn’t work out over time then It’s Time!!!!!1 for looking into different medication options available- ranging from small pills💊 to self-administered injectables 👩‍⚕️👨‍⚕️

But before diving knee-deep into drugs (<– please don’t do this), we need to answer another important query…

When Do We Need Medication

So when exactly should you start taking meds? Well, here are few scenarios :

Scenarios :

SCENARIO 1 ) Uncontrolled blood sugar

Sorry chum Here ‘uncontrolled’ means when fasting plasma glucose is greater than / equal to 126mg/dl on more than one occasion – No Dice!

As per amaerican diabetes association recommendations, In such cases, medication is started ASAP💊.

SCENARIO 2 ) Your Goal

Another way to determine when to start any diabetes medications is by figuring out your target blood sugar level. This typically falls under hemoglobin A1c (HbA1C) range and may vary depending on age & individual risk factors lxxxr 😳

Hemoglobin A1C

HC-what now? It turns out that glucose in the bloodstream can stick onto proteins, making them “glycated.” % of glycosylated hemoglobin which reflects average blood sugar over past three months or so; generally ≤7% for individuals with type 2 DM encouraged.

PROTIP: In Pharaohs’ Era, Physicians Used Ant’s Urine To Recognise Glycosuria Today We Have Handy Tools🤭

If you’re still unsure whether it’s time to ‘pop-a-pill’, other indicators like recent heart attack(oh NO! 😨), family history of diabetes, high blood pressure and elevated cholesterol levels might prompt physician in opting for early treatment regime{I hope this last sentences make sense😒}

Conclusion:

So there we have it folks- an overview of what diabetes is about , different types and approaches one could take while thinking/prioritising anti-diabetic meds or lifestyle interventions👌

Always keep track of your vitals, work hand-in-hand with your physician don’t shy away from asking questions until everything makes sense 🧐 Stay healthy peeps!

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