How Testing Can Help You Make the Most of Your Meds
Using your meter to find out how your diabetes reacts to insulin and oral meds
Living with diabetes means having high blood glucose results from time to time. There are several causes for this, including:
- Eating more food than usual
- Being less active than usual
- Being under physical and emotional stress
- Not taking enough diabetes medication
- Being ill
The goal, however, is to not have these high blood glucose readings happen all of the time. Checking your blood glucose helps you and your healthcare professional figure out if you are taking enough of the right medicines and the right amount of insulin if you use it.
Juggling meds and testing
Over time, medications may be added or changed in your treatment plan. Medications include diabetes pills and insulin injections. The American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE) guidelines on testing note that the frequency with which you test your blood glucose varies according to whether you have type 1 or type 2 diabetes, if your glucose levels are in range and if you take multiple injections of insulin or use an insulin pump.
According to the AACE guidelines, people with type 1 diabetes should test at least three times daily while taking multiple doses of insulin and those with type 2 diabetes whose glucose levels are above target and are on diabetes pills and/or on insulin should test at least two times daily.
Consult with your healthcare professional before making any changes or for any questions that you may have.
Know your medications
Obviously the purpose of diabetes medications is to lower blood glucose. However, some medications-like sulfonylureas and meglitinides-stimulate the release of insulin, possibly causing a person to go into hypoglycemia.
It's important to know your medications, and if they might cause hypoglycemia. Insulin—if taken without enough food or with too much exercise–can also cause hypoglycemia. Any sulfonylurea or meglitinide can cause blood glucose levels to drop too low; however, metformin, the glitazones (Actos® and Avandia®) or the gliptins (Januvia®) rarely cause hypoglycemia unless taken with sulfonylureas, repaglinide or insulin. Acarbose or meglitol, taken as prescribed, do not cause hypoglycemia. However, hypoglycemia can occur when acarbose or meglitol is taken in combination with other oral diabetes medications and, of course, if any of the mentioned medications are taken in combination with insulin.
Always be ready for hypoglycemia
There is no "best" pill or treatment for Type 2 diabetes, and you may need to try more than one type of pill, combination of pills, or pills plus insulin. Knowing your blood glucose level not only helps prevent a low, but allows you to treat it before it becomes a problem. Ask your healthcare team or pharmacist if you have immediate questions about your medications.
The more information you have, the easier it is for your doctor to make a change in your medication regimen. For one week, write down your blood glucose readings, the dose and kinds of medications and the foods you are eating. This will help your doctor when it comes to making a decision to add, subtract or change a dose of medication.
All trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
