There are seven types of medication that diabetics take: insulin, sulfonylureas, biguanides, sulfonylurea/Biguanide combination, alpha-glucosidase inhibitors, thiazolidinediones, and meglitinides. Each of these medications is intended to help the diabetic's body to stabilize blood glucose levels.
Insulin
Insulin is the most common medication that a diabetic will take. It is basically just a protein that is used for cellular metabolism, or more simply put it is an energy source for cells to do their work. In order for insulin to be utilized by the body it has to be injected or pumped into the bloodstream. This can be accomplished through needle injections or through the use of an insulin pump
There are currently twenty different kinds of insulin available for diabetics to use. Some insulin is harvested from animals, while other insulin is produced through synthetic measures. In addition to categorizing where the insulin derives from, it is also categorized by how quickly it works (onset), when it is the most effective (peak), and how long it remains active in the bloodstream duration). There are five such insulin classifications:
Rapid Acting
Short Acting
Intermediate Acting
Long Acting
Very Long Acting
Each class of insulin is used to treat different types of insulin needs. For example long acting and very long acting insulin injections are used to maintain a healthy blood glucose level for extended periods of time such as over night. Rapid acting insulin, on the other hand, is used when glucose levels dip too low and the diabetic is at risk of entering a diabetic coma if they don't get their blood glucose level up quickly.
To determine what type of insulin that a person will use or what combinations of types of insulin that a person will use will greatly depend on their body's insulin needs. To determine what size of dose as well as what type of insulin that a diabetic needs they will need to take several blood glucose level readings a day. This involves harvesting a small amount of blood from the body and testing it for blood glucose level. A blood glucose meter is used for this purpose, and it analyzes the blood and provides the diabetic with a digital readout of their blood glucose level. The diabetic uses this number to determine what type of glucose to use, and how large of a dose to take.
While insulin can be used for people with either type 1 or type 2 diabetes, it is most often associated with the treatment of type 1 diabetes. Type 2 diabetics often used oral medications in order to manage their blood glucose controlling needs.