Can I take Insulin to control blood sugar?

Question

Hi doctor,

I am having high blood glucose. My fasting blood sugar is 153 mg/dL, postprandial is 175 mg/dL and before dinner 152 mg/dL. My doctor advised Janumet 50/500 before breakfast and dinner and Sulisent in the morning. Shall I take it? Presently, I am having Invokana 50/500 before breakfast and dinner and Reclide 10 after lunch. Which medicine should I take? Can I take insulin, since it has no side effects? I have leg and hand joint pain. I am following the strict lifestyle and not taking any sweet or sweetener. Sometimes, I have a severe headache. I am also having a gastric problem.

Answer 1

Hi,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

Firstly, I like to tell you that you are doing a great job by managing strict diet restrictions and regular exercises. Please do continue exercising for at least 45 minutes daily. Now, coming to your concern regarding the medications, Insulin is definitely the most natural way of treating diabetes. But, you have to understand that it has its disadvantages. If you are comfortable with the administration of injections daily, then definitely you can ask your doctor to shift you on Insulin. But, Insulin also leads to instant hypoglycemia. So, you must have meals at the proper times and adequately. The risk of hypoglycemia is higher with the usage of Insulin. Regarding your current medications, every doctor has a different way of treating diabetes, according to the success rates they see and achieve during their practice. You can definitely continue with what your doctor has suggested. I prefer treating my patients with newer drugs, which have proved more potential and efficient, at least in my practice. Also, I would like you to get a blood test called HbA1c done. It tells us about the mean blood glucose levels over three months duration and is very efficient for analysis of blood sugar control.