What Are the Different Types of Combination Therapy for Diabetes?

Combination therapy for diabetes uses two or more diabetic medications at the same time to treat the patient for the disease. It allows the doctor to tailor diabetic treatment programs to the meet the needs of individual patients. A combination of diet, exercise, lifestyle, oral medication, or injections targets key components of the disease, which in turn reduce blood sugar levels.

Type II diabetics are typically able to maintain blood sugar levels through a combination of diet and oral medication. In many cases, more than one oral medication is prescribed. Other cases require the addition of injectable medication to keep blood sugar under control. Most cases of type I diabetes require injectable medications in addition to an oral medication.

Along with combination therapy for diabetes, treatment will often include diet and lifestyle changes. Healthy meals and snacks that promote low glycemic foods can be beneficial. Such foods maintain steady blood sugar levels and help to avoid blood sugar spikes that can occur when high glycemic foods are ingested. Examples of low glycemic foods include sweet potatoes, brown rice, whole grain breads, and whole grain pastas.

Lifestyle changes combined with medication and a good diet can maintain healthy blood sugar levels. Exercise, weight management, and regular physical check-ups work together with diabetes medication for optimum health. Patients should always check with their doctor before starting a new exercise routine or diet.

Patient personalities are taken into account when it comes to a combination therapy for diabetes. Some patients cannot bring themselves to inject medication, while others don't mind at all. For patients who do not want to inject their medications, a combination of oral medications is often possible. Pills are sometimes difficult for a patient to swallow, which means, for them, that injectable medication is a better answer.

An oral medication called metformin is a key factor in combination therapy for diabetes. Its purpose is to reduce the amount of glucose the liver produces. When combined with an insulin-based medication or an insulin-stimulating medication, the patient receives optimum benefits from both. Metformin is more popular than the historically prescribed sulfonylurea because metformin does not cause the low blood sugar issues that sulfonylurea is known to cause.

Combination therapy for diabetes is a necessary path for the patient to gain optimum benefits from treatment. If a combination is not used initially, it will usually be required at a later date. Benefits of combination therapies include a better control over glycemic indexes and fewer possible side effects because the doctor prescribes lower doses of each medication.