Diabetics have to take medicine for life?

The article is professionally consulted by Master, Doctor Vu Thi Duyen - Doctor of Nephrology - Endocrinology - Department of Medical Examination & Internal Medicine - Vinmec Hai Phong International General Hospital. The doctor has more than 11 years of experience in medical examination and treatment of general internal medicine, especially has strengths in examination and treatment specialized in nephrology - Endocrinology.

When it comes to type 2 diabetes, most people think that they will need to take medication for life to keep their blood sugar under good control and reduce the risk of complications. This is a question a lot of people really want to know.

First, to stop using diabetes medicine, you must control your blood sugar well by adjusting the diet and lifestyle that your doctor advises. Next, the doctor may ask some questions why you want to stop the drug such as:
Do you have difficulty taking the medicine several times a day? Do you experience side effects that decrease your quality of life? Are the drugs too expensive for you and affect the economy?

After a period of time, the doctor will do a physical examination and blood tests to decide on the right treatment to control blood sugar. You may not need to take medication if you have controlled your blood sugar with diet and exercise and have been consulted and approved by your doctor.

If you are taking metformin , it is the first drug for endocrinologists in the common treatment regimen for type 2 diabetes . Over time, your doctor may reduce your dose of metformin in stages as you lose weight and reach your ideal weight. You can even stop taking metformin for a while if you're making healthy lifestyle changes and keeping your blood sugar under control on low doses for several months. After that, the doctor will closely monitor the patient and schedule a follow-up visit if they try to stop using the drug or use a lower dose.
However, there are still a number of patients who, when they have tried to control their blood sugar by adjusting their diet and exercising, may still have to return to taking medication. The reason is that diabetes is a disease that cannot be cured, but progresses more and more severely.

One study found that people with diabetes made a lot of lifestyle changes like exercising for 175 minutes a week and eating 1,200 to 1,800 calories a day. Most people experience partial remission, and they can keep their blood sugar in the normal range without the need for medication or weight-loss surgery.
While some people have been able to stop taking the pill, it can only last a few years and then have to go back to taking it. Although doctors never want their patients to feel discouraged when forced to return to medication or even take more medication.
Diabetes is a chronic disease that will get worse over time and leave many complications for the sufferer. Therefore, patients must maintain healthy habits and lifestyle to best control blood sugar. As for taking the drug or not, it depends on the individual when changing the diet and lifestyle is appropriate or not.
Currently, Vinmec International General Hospital is implementing a diabetes screening package, when using this service package, customers will receive specialized examination, tests, and quantification related to the disease. diabetes. Customers can completely trust the results and receive advice on treatment methods as well as prevention and control of blood sugar, avoiding possible dangerous complications.

Reference source: nhs.uk, webmd.com