Type 2 diabetes

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15/15 rule	Alpha-glucosidase inhibitors	Biguanides	Diabetes and exercise
Diabetic emergency supplies	Food and insulin release	Glucose in blood	Low blood sugar symptoms
Monitor blood glucose - series	Starchy foods	Sulfonylureas drug	Thiazolidinediones

MEDICATION

When diet and exercise do not help maintain normal or near-normal blood glucose levels, your doctor may prescribe medication. Some of the most common types are listed below. They are taken by mouth.

• Oral sulfonylureas (like glimepiride, glyburide, and tolazamide) trigger the pancreas to make more insulin.
• Biguanides (Metformin) tell the liver to decrease its production of glucose, which increases glucose levels in the blood stream.
• Alpha-glucosidase inhibitors (such as acarbose) decrease the absorption of carbohydrates from the digestive tract, thereby lowering the after-meal glucose levels.
• Thiazolidinediones (such as rosiglitazone) help insulin work better at the cell site. In essence, they increase the cell's sensitivity (responsiveness) to insulin.
• Meglitinides (including repaglinide and nateglinide) trigger the pancreas to make more insulin in response to how much glucose is in the blood.

If you continue to have poor blood glucose control despite lifestyle changes and taking medicines by mouth, your doctor will prescribe insulin. Insulin may also be prescribed if you have had a bad reaction to other medicines. Insulin must be injected under the skin using a syringe and cannot be taken by mouth.

Insulin preparations differ in how fast they start to work and how long they work. Your healthcare provider will determine the appropriate type of insulin to use and will tell you what time of day to use it.

More than one type may be mixed together in an injection to achieve the best control of blood glucose. Usually injections are needed one to four times a day. Your doctor or diabetes educator will show you how to give yourself an injection.

FOOT CARE

People with diabetes are prone to foot problems. Diabetes can cause damage to nerves, which means you may not feel an injury to the foot until a large sore or infection develops. Diabetes can also damage blood vessels, which makes it harder for the body to fight infection.

To prevent injury to the feet, a person with diabetes should adopt a daily routine of checking and caring for the feet as follows: