Diabetes Drugs May Not Always Be the Solution to Type-2 Diabetes
Researchers have uncovered that the downside that goes along with taking medication to control type-2 diabetes symptoms may outweigh the benefits, when it comes to some patients. A study performed by researchers published within the JAMA journal of internal medicine, found that elderly people who are taking medication to control their type-2 diabetes condition, do not have as much to gain, as younger people engaging in the task. The research team also grouped together several doctors, which would help them in solidifying their claims.
The research team believes that doctors need to be more open, when prescribing medications to their patients. Doctors need to ensure that their patients have not only been informed of the benefits that go along with consuming a specific medication, but that they are also well aware of the risks that can arise as well. The charity for diabetes care within the UK, believes that doctors need to determine how to strike a balance, when it comes to prescribing medications to their patients.
Understanding what the condition is, can help people understand the reasoning’s why certain medications may not be working correctly for them. Type-2 diabetes is a condition when an individual has an inability to properly control their blood sugar levels. The condition is directly linked to the lifestyle choices that an individual makes. Choices such as their diet, as well as increased cases of obesity, have helped to make this condition fairly common, amongst adults all across the globe.
The longterm side effects of having the condition include: kidney damage, heart disease, damage to the nerves, as well as blindness, if the condition is not managed properly, following the diagnosis. One common drug that is used to help lower blood sugar levels in adults is known as metformin. This drug also helps to prevent the side effects that accompany the condition, as well.
Weighing the pros and the cons of any decision that you make is important, especially when you’re an adult, and when it comes to properly managing your health. A report, which was conducted by researchers at the University of Michigan, along with researchers from UCL, discovered that an average forty five year old person, who is able to drop their blood sugar levels by a mere one percent, will instantly gain an additional ten months onto their lives, in comparison to a seventy five year old individual who only gains three additional weeks, to their average lifespan.
This needs to be balanced against the downsides that accompany having to consume medication for an individual’s entire life. People, who are diagnosed earlier, will have to be on a regime of medications and have to undergo multiple injections in order to ensure that their blood sugar levels are measuring where they need to be. The drugs used to help control the condition, have a list of side effects of their own, which include sickness, indigestion, and the chances of blood sugar levels, dropping too low, which is known as a condition called hypoglycemia.
There is a balance that needs to be obtained when it comes to giving patients certain medications, which are required to give an individual a longer lifespan. If the medications that are being prescribed to help control the condition, cause negative side effects that can impact an individual’s way of life in a negative manner, giving the individual medications to control the condition, so they can live longer, may be the wrong thing to do. The study concentrates on looking at each patient’s individual needs, when dealing with type-2 diabetes, instead of adopting a blanket style approach, where one solution is supposed to work for everyone.