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Diabetes is a disease that affects the body's ability to make or use insulin, leading to high blood sugar (glucose). The requirements for medicinal treatment vary based on whether a person has type 1 or type 2 diabetes.
Type 1 Diabetes
People with type 1 diabetes always require treatment with insulin in order to live. Insulin can be delivered through injections, an implanted insulin pump or through inhalation, according to the National Institutes of Health's Medline Plus.
Type 2 Diabetes
Unlike people with type 1 diabetes, people with type 2 diabetes may be able to control their condition with diet and exercise. Medline Plus reports that people who start medication and are later able to control diabetes with diet and exercise may be able to stop drug therapy.
Considerations
When diet and exercise alone cannot help a person diabetes control her condition, Medline Plus reports that a doctor may prescribe a variety of medications before resorting to insulin.
Medications
Medications given to control type 2 diabetes may include biguanides to help the liver produce less and absorb more glucose, sulfonylureas to increase insulin production from the pancreas, thiazolidinediones to cause fat and muscle cells to absorb more glucose in the presence of insulin, injections to lower blood glucose, meglitinides to help the pancreas make more insulin, and alpha-glucosidase inhibitors to block the absorption of carbohydrates.
Insulin
Doctors may recommend insulin for people with type 2 diabetes who continue to have uncontrolled blood sugar even after other treatments, according to Medline Plus.
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