Diabetes is one of the most common diseases nowadays and in fact, it is estimated as of 2000 that 2.8% of the world’s population is affected with this certain disease. The thing with Diabetes is that it may look manageable and ignorable at first but when the disease progresses and the body can’t seem to compensate with the root of the problem, many organs might be affected leading to multiple organ complications and even amputation, in worst cases.
Diabetes is an endocrine disorder and it affects the areas in our pancreas that secretes Insulin. And as we are all aware of, insulin is a hormone necessary for the sugar content in our blood to be delivered or stored inside the cell where it should normally be. The problem with Diabetes is that there is little or no insulin at all, keeping the sugar stay within our blood circulation. And when this happens continuously, our blood sugar level will shoot up and might be fatal. This is why medical management of Diabetes is of utmost importance.
There are basically two types of Diabetes and these are treated differently at the onset of the disease. The Type I Diabetes, a more uncommon type, is a disease where there is no Insulin at all while the Type II Diabetes is a more common type where the body produces a little amount of insulin not enough to suffice the body’s demands.
Anti-Diabetic Drugs.
Since the blood sugar in a person with diabetes is significantly high, it is managed by drugs which lower down the blood sugar.
Basically, there are two types of drugs which lower down the blood sugar- these are the Oral Hypoglycemic Agents or the OHA and Insulin. OHA is initially used for people with Type II Diabetes while Insulin is immediately used for people with Type I Diabetes Mellitus.
These drugs works in several different ways. First, they promote the release of Insulin leading to increased chances of the blood sugar to be taken up by cells. Second, these drugs also increases our sensitivity to insulin in such a way that sugar could instantly enter the cells and lastly, these drugs also work by decreasing glucose reabsorption in the intestine, promoting excretion of glucose.
Insulin, on the other hand works basically the same way but insulin is mostly given as a subcutaneous injection. It is usually injected in fatty areas of the skin where absorption can be delayed up to several hours. There are different types of Insulin- it can be fast acting, short acting, intermediate acting and long acting. Each type of Insulin also has its own Onset of Action, Peak of Action, and Duration of Action so this must be administered cautiously.
Side Effects of the Drug.
Oral anti diabetic agents can cause headache, stomach and GI irritation, nausea and vomiting- the common side effects from taking drugs. And since these drugs lower down our blood sugar, it may cause the reverse signs and symptoms which indicate low sugar level (hypoglycemic reaction) which manifests with symptoms like chills, cold and clammy skin, weakness and rapid heartbeat, fainting spells. As we all know, our sugar level should always be at a certain amount in our blood so lack of glucose also has threatening side effects that patients, especially their primary caregivers should watch out for.
Diabetes is a manageable condition and has a good prognosis most especially if treated promptly and managed properly. It is always important to consult your physician if you have concerns about medications and are planning to take herbal supplements which are not in your treatment regimen.
