Living With Diabetes - Is Your Treatment Actually Working For You?

Diabetes is a lifelong condition that has no cure but can be managed with treatment and control over one’s diet. If left untreated, this can be fatal and lead to a number of cardiac complications. The treatment plan for this disease must be customised to each individual’s overall health and requirement. It also needs to be analysed from time to time and changed if need be. A number of tests such as blood tests, A1C levels etc. help a doctor analyse this.

The most common reason your doctor may want to change your medication is if it does not help regulate your blood sugar levels or if it allows you to regain control of your blood sugar for a substantial period of time. In the first case, your doctor will change the medication to something stronger or medication that is more suited to your body’s needs. In case of the latter, the doctor will take you off some medicines and may reduce your insulin dosage. Thus, testing yourself regularly to ascertain your blood sugar levels is crucial to understanding how well your treatment plan is working.

All medicines have side effects associated with them and this gets more pronounced when you need to take the medication regularly for a long period of time. It is also important to note that medicines do not affect everyone in the same way. While some side effects are minor others can interfere with your quality of life. If a certain medicine has too many side effects, your doctor may choose to change it to something more suitable to you. Pharmacies are also constantly researching more effective ways to combat diseases like diabetes and hence when a better medicine becomes available, your doctor may choose to replace your existing medication with the new medicines.

Eating right and maintaining a healthy weight is a key aspect of managing treatment for diabetes. Hence, before changing your medication your doctor will first enquire about your lifestyle to ensure that you are eating right and exercising enough. If you have dangerously high blood sugar levels, he may prescribe insulin as a temporary remedy. If your blood sugar has net been controlled by the medication over a substantial time period, your doctor may advise you to begin taking regular insulin doses.

Whenever the doctor changes your medication plan look out for side effects from the new medication. This may include weight gain, nausea and fluid retention. In most cases, these side effects are temporary and resolve themselves as your body gets used to the new medication. However, if they do not subside after a while, talk to your doctor about it.