Diabetes & Drug Treatments: Preparation & Administration

Diabetes and Drug Treatments
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Diabetes and Drug Treatments
There are three types of diabetes that affect people, and they include type 1, type 2, as well as gestational diabetes. Type 1 diabetes was formerly known as juvenile diabetes because it mainly occurs in childhood although it is now known that type 1 diabetes can also occur in adults. Type 1 diabetes occurs because one’s immune system destroys the cells that generate insulin and this eliminates insulin production in totality. The absence of insulin means that the body cells cannot absorb the blood sugar (glucose) that is required to generate energy (Arcangelo & Peterson, 2013).
Type 2 diabetes was initially referred to as adult-onset diabetes because it commonly occurs in middle-aged and among the older people. However, type 2 diabetes also occurs in children. Type 2 diabetes occurs because the body is not using insulin the right way leading to what is called insulin resistance. This is a condition that takes place since the fat, muscle, and even the liver cells do not make use of insulin to carry glucose to other body cells. When type 2 becomes worse, it means the pancreas is making less and less insulin leading to insulin deficiency (Arcangelo & Peterson, 2013).
Gestational diabetes occurs in pregnant women because they produce hormones that can result in insulin resistance. Almost all women exhibit insulin resistance at the end of the pregnancy. This is because they produce higher levels of glucose more than what insulin can control. When the pancreas is not able to produce sufficient insulin when one is pregnant, gestational diabetes occurs. Gestational diabetes mostly goes disappears once the baby is born but such women are at a risk of developing type 2 diabetes later in life (Kim, Newton & Knopp, 2002).
Metformin is prescribed to treat type 2 diabetes because it enhances sensitivity of the body tissues to be receptive to insulin and use it effectively. Metformin is efficient because it reduces the generation of glucose in the liver. The drug mainly comes in tablet form given in milligrams depending on the patient age or condition. In adults it is supposed to be taken about 500mg two times a day or 850 mg once a day and dosage can be increased slowly. However, dosage cannot exceed 2500 mg daily, and it is best taken with food. Children can be given about 500 mg twice a day (Drugs.com, 201...