Curing Diabetes

All patients with Type 1 diabetes, and some patients with Type 2 diabetes, need to take medication to control their disease. Type 1 diabetes can be treated with insulin injections. Most Type 2 diabetes can be treated with oral antidiabetic drugs. Some patients with Type 2 diabetes require two or three oral antidiabetic drugs or a combination of oral antidiabetic drugs and insulin. During periods of physiologic stress-such as fever, trauma, infection, or surgery-patients with Type 2 diabetes may need temporary insulin therapy. To reverse the effects of a hypoglycemic episode, a patient with either type of diabetes may take glucagon.Explain to your patient that medication alone can’t control diabetes. Instruct her to follow a regular schedule for meals, exercise, and medication. Teach your patient and her family to recognize the signs and symptoms of hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia. Also, teach them how to manage hyperglycemic and hypoglycemic episodes and when to contact a physician. Stress the importance of monitoring blood glucose levels at home and teach your patient proper self-monitoring technique. Also explain that she should have periodic laboratory tests for glycosylated hemoglobin, kidney and liver function, and hematologic profiles.

Advise your patient to contact her physician before taking any over-the-counter drugs. She should also contact her physician before discontinuing her diabetes medication or altering its dosage. Tell your patient to always carry medical identification and a source of glucose for emergencies.

Filed under: Diabetes Treatment