Medication

Diabetes is a progressive condition and despite keeping to a healthy diet, physical activity and taking your medications regularly, your medications may need to be altered to keep your diabetes well controlled and to prevent the long term complications of diabetes.

There could be several reasons why your medication has changed – perhaps the medication you were taking wasn’t working as well as it might for you and a different one will be more beneficial. It can often take a little while to find the right medication and/or dose for each person. As time goes on, the medication you take will generally need altering to reflect the changes going on within your body. It may be that your body is producing less insulin or the insulin it is producing is becoming less effective.

Information about medications and what they do can be found on the Electronic Medicines Consortium (EMC) website. If you have questions about any of these products, concerns about individual health matters or the treatment of your diabetes, please consult your diabetes care team. The main types of medication are:

• Biguanide (Metformin). These work in two ways.  They help to stop the liver producing new glucose and they also overcome insulin resistance by making insulin carry glucose into muscle and fat cells more effectively.
• Sulphonylureas. These work by stimulating the cells in the pancreas to make more insulin. They also help insulin to work more effectively in the body.
• Prandial glucose regulator. These work by stimulating your pancreas to produce more insulin,
• Thiazolidinediones (glitazones). These are a new family of tablets which help the body to use its own insulin more effectively.
• Alpha glucosidase inhibitor. These work by slowing down the absorption of starchy foods from the intestine

These medications need to be taken in different doses and at different times of the day. Follow the instructions provided by your healthcare team or those printed on the front of the packaging.

If you experience any side effects, do speak to your doctor as there may be another medication that could be used instead. If you think a medicine has caused an unwanted side effect, or even if you are not sure, you can report the problem to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) on a yellow card. Yellow card forms are available from pharmacies and other outlets across the NHS.

If you forget and it is only an hour or two since your normal time for taking it, just take it as soon as you remember (apart from prandial glucose regulator tablets which should be taken within the first few minutes of your next meal). If longer, miss the dose out and take the next one at the usual time. If you find that you frequently forget to take your tablets, discuss this with your doctor. It may be possible to simplify your treatment. If not, there are various aids available which can help you remember when to take your tablets.

You should have your medications reviewed at least annually. If however, you find that you are experiencing any difficulties, such as side effects or your blood glucose levels are consistently high, you will need to have your medication reviewed sooner and possibly more frequently.

There has, and continues to be, much research into different vitamins/minerals and their effect on diabetes. To date, there is no reason to take vitamin/mineral supplements.