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Diabetes – What are Type 2 Diabetes Treatments? | Treatments For Type 2 Diabetes | Diabetes Type 2 Treatments

The blood test that is mainly used to keep a check on your blood glucose level is called the HbA1c test. This test is commonly done every 2 to 6 months by your doctor or nurse. The HbA1c test measures a part of the red blood cells. Glucose in the blood attaches to part of the red blood cells. This part can be measured and gives a good indication of your average blood glucose level over the previous 1-3 months.Treatment aims to lower your HbA1c to below a target level which is usually agreed between you and your doctor. The target level is usually somewhere around 6.5%. If your HbA1c is above your target level then you may be advised to step up treatment to keep your blood glucose level down.

Blood sugar control The goal of treatment in type 2 diabetes is to keep blood sugar levels at normal or near normal levels. Careful control of blood sugars can help prevent the long term effects of poorly controlled blood sugar.Home blood sugar testing In people with type 2 diabetes, home blood sugar testing is often recommended at least once per day, before the first meal of the day.A normal fasting blood sugar is less than 100 mg/dL, although some people will have a different goal. A healthcare provider can help to determine this goal. Some people will need to test their blood sugar before and/or after other meals during the day, and the frequency of testing can change over time.

Despite the choice of pharmacologic agents, physicians must stress the nonpharmacologic approaches of diet modification, weight control and regular exercise. Pharmacologic approaches must be based on patient characteristics, level of glucose control and cost considerations. Combinations of different oral agents may be useful for controlling hyperglycemia before insulin therapy becomes necessary. A stepped care approach to drug therapy may provide the most rational, cost efficient approach to management of this disease. Pharmaco-economic analyses of clinical trials are needed to determine cost-effective treatment strategies for management of type 2 diabetes.

Complex new drugs, like Byetta, which is taken by injection but is not insulin. It attacks high blood sugar from multiple angles and suppresses appetite. “Byetta is a real advance, says Stephen Davis, MD, chief of Diabetes, Endocrinology, and Metabolism at Vanderbilt Medical Center in Nashville, Tenn.Januvia is a novel drug that works with gut hormones, natural enzymes, and the body’s own insulin to control blood glucose.Several two drug combination pills have been approved by the FDA in the past two years reducing the number of pills people must take. The well known drug metformin is now available in an extended-release, once- or twice a day dosage without bothersome intestinal side effects.

Treatment of hypertension in type 2 diabetes provides dramatic benefit. Target diastolic blood pressures of less than 80 mm Hg appear optimal systolic targets have not been as rigorously evaluated, but targets of 135 mm Hg or less are reasonable. Studies that compare drug classes do not suggest obviously superior agents. However, it is reasonable to conclude that thiazide diuretics, angiotensin-II receptor blockers, and perhaps angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors may be the preferred first line agents for treatment of hypertension in diabetes. β Blockers and calcium channel blockers are more effective than placebo, but they may not be as effective as diuretics, angiotensin II receptor blockers, or ACE inhibitors; however, study results are inconsistent in this regard.