Not all people with diabetes need medication to live a life without limits. If you do need insulin or diabetes pills to manage your diabetes, make sure you use all medications safely and effectively. Follow the schedule you have discussed with your healthcare team. Consistent dosages help you control blood glucose levels, so keep records of when and how much you take to help spot trends and make adjustments in your routine. Also, be aware of drug interactions by asking your doctor or pharmacist how various combinations of medicines will affect your health.


Diabetes Pills (Oral Medication)
For people with Type 2 diabetes, medicine may be used to lower blood glucose. Diabetes pills help the pancreas produce more insulin and/or make the body's cells more sensitive to its own insulin. But diabetes pills are not actually insulin.

Learn more about diabetes pills


Insulin
Insulin is a hormone the body needs to convert sugar, starches and other food into the energy necessary for daily living. There are various types of insulin and insulin delivery systems that can be used. It is important that people who take insulin understand how it works, what factors affect its action and what schedule will work best for them.

Learn more about insulin and insulin pumps.

To overcome diabetes, it’s important to follow your doctor’s orders. Yet, startling statistics show many people don’t.


More than half of all Americans with chronic diseases - such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease - don’t follow their physician’s medication and lifestyle guidance.
Two-thirds of all Americans don’t take some or all of their prescription medications.

Only 50 percent of men and 68 percent of women recognize regular medical checkups are important to staying well.

“Studies have shown that complications from diabetes develop over time, but patients often are unaware of the disease’s progression,” said Jorge Plutzky, M.D., cardiologist and director of the Vascular Disease Prevention Program at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston and assistant professor at Harvard Medical School.

“As a result, chronic diseases like diabetes present a real challenge to maintaining an adequate long-term treatment regimen. Patients don’t really notice an immediate difference if they miss taking their medication one day or fail to exercise one week. But the damage adds up over time.”

Following a regular physical activity, healthy diet, and medication plan “to the letter” is what medical professionals call “compliance.” Compliance is the key to keeping diabetes under control and avoiding serious complications like heart disease.

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