Diabetes drugs known so far
What are the existing diabetes medications?
As diabetes has a long history, many types of diabetes drugs have been developed and are on the market. However, it is known that diabetes drugs currently on the market only work on one or two of the various causes of diabetes and that most of them have side effects. Let's take oral blood sugar control drugs used as a treatment for adult-onset diabetes as an example.
1) There are drugs in the sulfonylurease class. These include Diabines, which is a first-generation diabetes treatment that is still used these days, and Orinase, Tolinase, Diabeta, Micronase, Glinazepressestep, Glucontrol, and Amaryl, which are called second-generation oral hypoglycemic agents. Both of these types of medications work by squeezing insulin out of the beta cells of the pancreas. However, if taken for a long time, beta cells become fatigued, damaged and reduced, and side effects such as kidney disease, liver disease, hypoglycemia, intestinal dysfunction, headache, dizziness, malaise, and endocrine system abnormalities have been reported.
2) There are drugs in the biguanide series. This medicine helps the action of insulin and has the effect of controlling blood sugar by reducing the amount of sugar produced and secreted by the liver. These include glucophage, glycomine, and gluconyl. Side effects include acidosis caused by lactic acid and increased mortality due to cardiac complications.
3) There is a drug of the Acarbose series. Representative products include Glucobay and Friendsays, which prevent blood sugar levels from rising rapidly after a meal by slowing down the digestion of sugar. Just like silkworm powder, it artificially creates indigestion. Side effects include intestinal side effects and hypoglycemia.
4) There is a drug in the Thiazide series. Recently, it has been sold under names such as Rezulin. The drug increases the number of receptors, improves insulin resistance, increases absorption and storage of glucose, and prevents the formation of glucose in the liver. This type of drug basically uses antibodies (anti-bodies), so it has the potential to cause cancer in the long term. It is known that about 2% of patients taking this drug suffer heart attacks. This led to a recent ban on the sale of this drug in the UK. Other side effects have been reported including hepatitis, headache, abnormal red blood cells, and heart disease.
Ultimately, because existing diabetes drugs artificially act only on one or two metabolic processes, side effects and resistance cannot be avoided. A good diabetes medication should act evenly and comprehensively on each stage of the carbohydrate digestion process, but should not cause resistance to the drug itself and have no side effects.
They say you have to take insulin if you have diabetes?
The treatment of diabetic patients took a revolutionary turn with the development of insulin. In fact, insulin injection is a viable treatment option for pediatric patients with diabetes, pregnant women who cannot control their blood sugar through diet, those who fail to control their blood sugar with oral hypoglycemic agents, those with diabetes who undergo major surgery, and those who fall into a coma due to high blood sugar.
However, not all diabetic patients can blindly use insulin injections. Furthermore, if insulin is administered for a long period of time, the function of beta cells that produce insulin may be completely damaged. Therefore, it is a very dangerous idea to simply think that diabetes can be treated with insulin injections.
I have diabetes because my blood sugar level is high, so why should I worry about symptoms of hypoglycemia?
Diabetic patients have sugar remaining in their blood, resulting in symptoms of high blood sugar. However, if the dose of insulin or oral hypoglycemic agent administered to lower blood sugar levels is high, or if the dose is appropriate but the amount of food is small or the meal time is delayed and the blood sugar level is lowered as a result, or if the amount of exercise is more than usual even if the amount of food or dosage is appropriate, If you consume too much blood sugar, symptoms of hypoglycemia may appear temporarily. Hypoglycemia refers to blood sugar levels falling below 50 mg/dl.
When low blood sugar levels occur, you may experience cold sweat, tremble in your hands and feet, feel dizzy, become emotionally unstable, have a rapid pulse, have headaches, feel full-body weakness, and in severe cases, suffer from convulsions and fall into a coma. If you feel symptoms of hypoglycemia, you must quickly provide sugar. If you lose consciousness after drinking drinks or candy containing a lot of sugar, give a glucose injection. This is why diabetics suffering from high blood sugar levels rather carry candy or take hypoglycemic agents. The irony of having to take hypoglycemic agents while having high blood sugar levels can be said to be the greatest tragedy for diabetic patients.
What conditions are ideal for diabetes treatment drugs and diabetes treatment health foods?
As mentioned earlier, diabetes drugs and health foods for diabetes known so far are usually effective only on one or two symptoms of diabetes. In addition, most of them have side effects, such as becoming less effective over time or putting a serious burden on the liver and kidneys. Some drugs can even cause a heart attack or cause cancer.
Thus far, no diabetes medication or health food has been developed that can be safely used for a long time and at the same time cure diabetes. Based on the above experience, the following seven conditions are necessary for an ideal diabetes treatment drug or diabetes treatment health food.
1) The effectiveness of the drug must be scientifically proven
2) There must be no side effects
3) It must act on the entire diabetes system so as not to overwhelm only one part of the drug
4) It must improve the health of the entire body
5) It must not be resistant
6 ) It should have short-term blood sugar control effect as well as long-term curative effect.
7) It should be easily available to the general public.
There are many diabetes medications and health foods that meet three or four of the seven conditions above. However, there has not yet been a diabetes treatment that satisfies all seven conditions. However, recently, it is gradually becoming known in academia that good diabetes medicines are possible by safely processing ingredients with diabetes treatment effects and mixing them appropriately.
How to determine which foods are good among existing diabetes-related health foods?
There are many health foods that have greatly contributed to human health. However, there are many foods that only have loud advertisements and cause harm to the human body or economic damage. The government protects this to some extent through the licensing process, but it is not perfect. In the end, what matters is the consumer's decision. Over time, each consumer's experience accumulates and a final evaluation of the product is made. An easy way for the general public to find out good diabetes-related health foods is to check the following.
1) Development by authoritative researchers
2) Strict animal testing
3) Strict clinical testing
4) Strict toxicity testing and heavy metal testing
5) Securing theoretical and medical basis for therapeutic action
6) Confirmation of literature proving effectiveness
7) User reactions 8) Statistics recorded
in the Pharmacopoeia and Food Codex, etc.