Medicines For Blood Pressure & Diabetes

Diabetes is a disorder of insulin--a pancreatic hormone that reduces the amount of glucose in the blood--in which the amount of glucose in the blood is higher than normal. It is treated with lifestyle changes and medication. The goal of treatment in diabetes is to have blood glucose levels that are close to normal and to prevent or reduce the occurrence of complications.

Insulin

There are different types of diabetes. In type 1 diabetes, the pancreas produces little to no insulin. Due to this, people who suffer from this type of diabetes must take insulin to live. There are different types of insulin and they differ based on how fast they reduce blood sugar levels. Rapid-acting insulin works quickly while long-acting insulin works for hours. Insulin reduces blood glucose levels by moving glucose from the blood into the cells in the body.

Insulin can be administered by injection with a syringe and needle or an insulin pen. An insulin pump can also be used to deliver insulin to the body. The pump is a small cell phone-like device that can be worn on a belt or carried in the pocket. It holds a reservoir of insulin which is pumped into the body via a tube that connects the body and the pump.

Oral Medication

Type 2 diabetes is characterized by insulin resistance. Here, the pancreas makes insulin, but the body does not use it properly. This form of diabetes also happens because the body does not produce enough insulin.

Type 2 diabetes is typically treated with oral medications that are differentiated by the way they reduce glucose in the body. Insulin injections can also be used in type 2 diabetes. Sulfonylureas, biguanides, meglitinides, thiazolidinediones and alpha glucosidase inhibitors are classes of oral medications used to treat type 2 diabetes.

Sulfonylureas work by stimulating the pancreas to make more insulin; glipizide is a sulfonylurea drug. Meglitinides have the same effects as sulfonylureas. Biguanides such as metformin inhibit glucose production in the liver.

Pioglitazone is a thiazolidinedione drug that lowers blood sugar by increasing the body's response to insulin. Thiazolidinedione stimulate cells in the body to use insulin efficiently. The alpha glucosidase inhibitor medications such as acarbose act during digestion. They reduce the amount of glucose the body absorbs from food.

Antihypertensives

"Type-2 Diabetic Nephropathy In Japan: From Bench to Bedside" by Yasuhiko Tomino suggests that diabetic patients usually develop hypertension regardless of which type of diabetes they have. Additionally, The American Heart Association explains that diabetes is the main cause of kidney disease. Therefore, diabetic patients who have kidney disease and hypertension are treated with hypertension medications that protect the kidneys.

Angiotensin-converting enzyme or ACE Inhibitors and angiotensin-2 receptor antagonists are two such medications. Furthermore, drugs in these two classes do not affect blood glucose levels. Examples are lisinopril, an ACE inhibitor, and losartan, which is an angiotensin-2 receptor antagonist.