Healthy eating, regular physical activity, adequate sleep, maintaining a healthy weight and taking diabetes medications are all important for keeping your blood glucose within your recommended target range. Several different types of diabetes medication are available. Most are in the form of tablets but some, including insulin, need to be injected. Lifestyle changes and diabetes tablets stimulate the body to make more insulin or to make better use of the insulin it produces. However, over time, lifestyle changes and other medications alone may not always be enough to keep your blood glucose within your target range. Some people with type 2 diabetes need to inject insulin. Often, medications will need to be taken in combination. This means that you may need to take two or more different types of tablets, and you may also need to add injections. The options available to you will depend on your personal situation. Over time, the type and dose of medication you need is likely to change. It is important to understand that this is the natural course of type 2 diabetes. Your body may need more help over time to make or use insulin. Read more in the NDSS fact sheet. Medications for type 2 diabetes fact sheet When you are first diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, you may not need to take medication. Over time, you may need glucose-lowering medication to help keep blood glucose levels in the target range. Download now “That’s the progression part of it. Your body works harder to make hormones, and if it’s not getting where it needs to be that’s when you’ve got to have insulin. I’m helping my body cope—to do something that it’s having trouble doing itself.”John, 68 years old Next: How do I know if my blood glucose is ‘within target’? ⇒
