Treatment Options for Type 1 Diabetes

Taking Other Medications

Other than taking the hormone that allows the body to use glucose for energy, diabetics may be required to take additional medications to treat type 1 diabetes, including:

• High Blood Pressure Medications: Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors or angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs) are often prescribed to help keep kidneys healthy for people who have blood pressures above 140/90-millimeters of mercury (mm Hg).
• Cholesterol-Lowering Drugs: Due to people with diabetes having an elevated risk of heart disease, these drugs are prescribed to help keep cholesterol within the American Diabetes Association’s recommendations.
• Aspirin: Aspirin is often recommended for diabetes patients to help protect their hearts (which are more susceptible to heart disease).

Monitoring Blood Sugar

Monitoring your blood sugar levels lets you know how well the other parts of your diabetes treatment are working. It also makes it easier to keep your levels in a range that makes you feel good and reduce the risk of developing more serious complications down the road.

Depending on whatever your doctor prescribes you relating to the hormone that regulates glucose in your blood, you may have to monitor and record your blood sugar level at least four times a day.

This is due to the fact that blood sugar levels tend to fluctuate unpredictably throughout the day, even when following a strict eating and hormone administering schedule. Among other things, your levels can be affected by food, activity, illness, medications, stress, hormonal changes, and alcohol.

To be safe, the American Diabetes Association recommends testing blood sugar levels before meals and snacks, before bed, before exercising or driving, and any time you suspect you may have low blood sugar.

Modern methods of monitoring blood levels include continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) in which a monitor is attached to your body using a fine needle just under the skin that checks blood glucose level every few minutes. However, CGM is not yet considered to be as accurate as standard blood sugar monitoring, so checking your blood sugar levels manually is still recommended.

Eating Healthy and Monitoring Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates (some more than others) cause your blood sugar levels to rise. As someone suffering from diabetes, you then need to take the hormone that regulates glucose in your blood to bring these levels back down. If the carbohydrate-to-hormone ratio is off, it can negatively affect your blood sugar levels, which can result in all sorts of complications.

No one diet is going to cure or treat your diabetes, but eating the right foods and counting your carbohydrates will make sure you always know how much of the hormone that regulates glucose in the blood is needed to properly metabolize the carbohydrates you’ve eaten.

The “right foods” in this case refer to nutritious, low-fat, high-fiber foods such as fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Your doctor or dietician will recommend foods more specifically tailored to your age, activity level, schedule, and food preferences.

Exercising

Exercise is also an important part of diabetes treatment. In addition to medicine, exercise also helps keep blood sugar levels in a healthy range. It also can reduce the risk of other health problems like heart disease – something people with diabetes may be more likely to get.

Before starting to exercise, it’s important to consult with your doctor, especially if you suffer from complications like hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) or hyperglycemia (high blood sugar). These can flare up more often during physical activity.

It’s also important to constantly check your blood sugar levels as you exercise, especially if you’re beginning to exercise more often. You may need to adjust your meal plan or hormone doses to compensate for the increased activity.