Diabetes Treatment

Oral Medications

People with type 2 diabetes may need to take one or more types of diabetes pills to lower their blood sugar. There are many types of diabetes pills and each type has a specific action.

Diabetic pills that lower the blood sugar levels include the following types:

Biguanides

Biguanides decrease the amount of sugar produced in the liver and also lower the amount of insulin in the body.

Sulfonylureas

Sulfonylureas stimulate the production of insulin in the pancreas and help the body to use the insulin that is currently being produced.

Meglitinides

Meglitinides stimulate the production of insulin in the pancreas, but are shorter acting than sulfonylureas.

Is an Insulin Pump for You?

More and more people with diabetes are considering using insulin pumps, hoping the computerized devices will enable them to enjoy a more flexible lifestyle. But while pumps can be beneficial, they're not for everyone.

"The pump generally is considered for people who have struggled to get control of their diabetes but have been unable to do so, for those needing tighter blood glucose control and for people who simply want the convenience and flexibility a pump offers," says Carole Mensing, R.N., M.A., a certified diabetes educator at the University of Connecticut, Farmington.

About the size of a beeper, insulin pumps are worn on a belt or carried in a pocket. They deliver a steady, measured dose of insulin through a flexible plastic tube called a catheter.