I hope Patrick Totty of Diabetes Health
is right. With all the problems being discovered with the oral
medications, insulin may soon be the medication of choice. Presently
the only safe oral medication seems to be metformin.
Early-use of insulin isn’t a new
notion. Over the past decade, numerous studies have supported the
early introduction of insulin in some type 2 cases. One example of
research into the concept is available at the National Institutes of
Health. Googling “early insulin treatment” brings up many
similar studies. Read the Diabetes-in-Control report here.
I do like this idea, but, yes one of
these, I have to wonder if doctors will accept this and knowing what
some doctors say, many do not believe in insulin and only recommend
oral medications on top of oral medications. I think that making
insulin a first- rather than a last-resort medication should be
seriously considered.
In the past, the initial treatment for
type 2 diabetes has been a sulfonylurea and metformin. This means
the sulfonylurea is used for increased insulin production and
metformin is used for a decrease in liver-produced glucose levels.
As is the case of sulfonylureas, eventually begin to lose their
effectiveness. This then leads to diabetes becoming progressive.
Patrick Totty has talked to Professor
John Wilding, a British endocrinologist and diabetes researcher, who
said he has been recommending the early use of insulin as a routine
element in the treatment of many recently diagnosed type 2s. I have
heard this from a few endocrinologists in the USA and as Mr. Totty
has heard, the reason for doing this is to overwhelm early type 2
diabetes and its unwanted effects on blood sugar levels. This says
that the progress of diabetes may be delayed indefinitely, and
occasionally permanently.
The great thing is that insulin
provides a “rest period” for pancreatic beta cells that have been
heavily stressed as patients move from metabolic syndrome or
pre-diabetes to full-onset diabetes.
One of the good things about starting
on insulin is that it’s compatible with some other type 2 drugs,
such as metformin or gliflozins. Because those drugs are directed at
other organs than the pancreas (metformin/liver; gliflozins/kidneys),
they can join insulin in as an effective team. By separately acting
to reduce blood sugar levels, those two drugs can bring down blood
sugars to a point that allows insulin users to inject lower doses
than if they were using insulin alone.
Nor only is it needles that cause
people with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes to
resist adding insulin out of the gate
to their medicinal routines. The news that you’re diabetic is hard
enough by itself to wrap your mind around, never mind committing to a
treatment that involves sticking yourself several times per day.
Much of people’s dread of needles comes from mental images of being
on an endless treadmill of self-administered shots.
Modern needles are very short and
incredibly thin, much of the public and many type 2s still perceive
insulin as a last resort, a sort of final defense when all of the
other available defenses have crumbled. But, for many
endocrinologists and healthcare providers delaying insulin is like
refusing to use the best weapon in the arsenal in the years-long
struggle against diabetes.
The prospect of being able to overwhelm
early onset type 2 will persuade many of the newly diagnosed to start
with insulin. As patterns and evidence develop in favor of early
insulin treatment, other type 2s, formerly reluctant to make the jump
to insulin, may rethink the whole matter.
Once this is accomplished, the doctors
will need to be convinced and the people with type 2 diabetes will
need to learn how to change lifestyle habits and strongly consider
low carb/high fat meal plans.
No comments:
Post a Comment