As you get older, you may need more, less or different medications to manage your diabetes and other health conditions. If it feels hard to stay on top of all your medications, do not be afraid to ask for help.
People with diabetes are often given medication(s) to help manage their blood glucose levels.
Different types of medications, including insulin, can be used for people with type 2 diabetes, whereas all people with type 1 diabetes will need to take insulin.
Medicines are one of many ways to manage your diabetes. Healthy eating and physical activity are also important and can help your medicines work better.
Glucose-lowering medicines
Taking different medicines
Preventing mistakes
Insulin
Managing insulin injections
Information and resources
People with type 2 diabetes are often prescribed one or more glucose-lowering medicines to help manage their blood glucose levels. These medicines can work in different ways. For example, they may increase the amount of insulin in your body or improve the way your body uses insulin.
As you get older, changes in your routine or body might mean you need less medication than you did previously.
Be aware of changes that can affect how your medicines work. These include:
If you notice your appetite has decreased, or you are losing weight, visit your health professional for a medication review or book a Home Medicines Review.
For help understanding your medicines, talk to your doctor, pharmacist or diabetes educator.
You may be taking multiple medicines for different medical conditions. Sometimes, the effects of these medicines can overlap, potentially causing serious side effects.
This is why it is important for your doctor or pharmacist to know all the medicines and supplements you are taking, including any that you buy without a prescription.
Talk with your doctor or pharmacist about how your medicines work, the best time to take them and any possible side effects to watch out for.
You could book a subsidised Home Medicines Review, where a pharmacist visits your home to check the medicines you are taking.
As you get older, you may be more likely to forget to take your medicines or accidentally take them incorrectly. Here are a few things you can do to help prevent mistakes:
It is important to know how to manage your medications if an emergency or natural disaster occurs. Make a plan and prepare an emergency diabetes kit in case you have to leave at short notice.
All people with type 1 diabetes must take insulin, as their pancreas cannot produce it.
For people with type 2 diabetes, insulin may be used when glucose-lowering medicines combined with diet and exercise are no longer enough to manage glucose levels.
Getting older can make managing insulin injections more challenging. It may be difficult to see, you may have pain or limited movement in your hands, or you might become more forgetful.
If you find you are struggling to manage your insulin injections, it is important to ask for help. Visit your GP, ask your credentialled diabetes educator or talk to your pharmacist.
If you have low vision or find it hard to perform tasks with your hands, pen injection devices can make injecting the correct insulin dose easier. Some insulin pen options can be prefilled, have built-in magnifiers or make sounds to let you know you have injected insulin correctly.
If you have trouble remembering whether you have taken your insulin, there are insulin pens that record the time of your last dose.
You do not have to figure this out on your own. Speak with your doctor, pharmacist or credentialled diabetes educator about the best options for you.
Medications for type 2 diabetes
Information about diabetes medications, side effects and complementary medicines.
Concerns about starting insulin
Feeling nervous about starting insulin is normal, but there are steps you can take to adjust.
Steroid medications and diabetes
Information about managing your blood glucose levels if you need to take steroid medications for another condition.
Diabetes Australia acknowledges Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the Traditional Owners and Custodians of this Country. We recognise their connection to land, waters, winds and culture. We pay the upmost respect to them, their cultures and to their Elders, past and present. We are committed to improving health outcomes for all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people affected by diabetes and those at risk.
