Treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus - drugs

Type 2 diabetes is a disease that often affects people over forty years of age who are overweight. With this pathology, the sensitivity of tissues to the action of insulin develops, which leads to an increase in the level of glucose in the blood, and all metabolic processes in the body fail.

Characterized by gradual development and unexpressed symptomatology at the initial stage, this disease is often diagnosed at the stage of complications that can develop rapidly in the absence of treatment. The basis for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus in many cases is medication, in which the drugs of several groups are used. Let's consider, than it is accepted to treat a diabetes of 2 types, what of preparations are the most effective.

Drugs for the treatment of type 2 diabetes

Unfortunately, to cure diabetes today is not possible, but the disease can be controlled by living a full life. If blood sugar and tissue sensitivity to insulin can not be normalized only through low-carbohydrate diet and physical activity, drugs can not be dispensed with. The main goals of drug treatment are:

The main group of drugs for type 2 diabetes is the sugar-lowering drugs in tableted form, which are divided into four types:

1. Medications that stimulate the production of insulin by pancreatic cells. These include sulfonylureas, similar in chemical structure, and classified by generation:

Also, to stimulate the synthesis of insulin, Novonorm (repaglinide) and Starlix (nateglinide) drugs appeared recently.

2. Biguanides - drugs that increase the sensitivity of cells to insulin. Today, only one drug is used from this type of medicine: metformin (Siofor, Glucophage, etc.). The mechanism of action of biguanides is still not clear, but it is known that metformin drugs contribute to weight loss, therefore shown in obesity.

3. Inhibitors of alpha-glucosidase - a means to slow the absorption of glucose from the intestine into the blood. This is achieved by inhibiting the action of the enzyme, which breaks down complex sugars, so that they do not enter the blood. Currently, Glucobay (acarbose) is being actively used.

4. Sensitizers (potentiators) are drugs that also increase the responsiveness of tissues to insulin. The effect is achieved by effects on cellular receptors. It is often prescribed the drug Aktos (glitazone).

Patients with a prolonged course of the disease may require the appointment of injectable insulin preparations - temporarily or for life.

Hypotensive drugs for type 2 diabetes mellitus

These drugs, which are prescribed for the development of vascular complications, should be attributed to a special group. In this disease, for the regulation of blood pressure, medications are administered that gently affect the kidneys. As a rule, thiazide diuretics and calcium channel blockers are prescribed.