How Speciality Medicines Can Help Tackle Diabetes
Diabetes is a long-term disease that affects millions of people worldwide, impacting their everyday lives and creating various health challenges. An essential part of managing diabetes is maintaining stable blood sugar levels, and speciality medications play an important role in this process. These new treatment options can provide a personalised approach that can improve general wellness and help prevent complications for an individual.
In this blog, we’ll discuss the importance of speciality medications in diabetes management.
Types of diabetes mellitus
Diabetes is a disease that arises due to increased blood sugar levels, which occurs when our body cannot produce enough insulin or cannot use it properly. The three common types of diabetes are:
● Type 1 diabetes
● Type 2 diabetes
● Gestational diabetes
What is type 1 diabetes, and is it curable?
Type 1 diabetes can usually start in childhood or adolescence when the immune system wrongly attacks the cells that make insulin in the pancreas. People with type 1 diabetes may need lifelong insulin therapy as their body can only make little to no insulin. Currently, there is no cure for type 1 diabetes; proper treatment and insulin therapy might help people to manage type-1 diabetes.
What is type 2 diabetes mellitus?
Type-2 diabetes is the most common form that often develops in adults due to lifestyle factors such as obesity, sedentary lifestyle and bad diet. The body develops resistance to insulin, which can cause high blood sugar levels. Making some lifestyle changes can help in managing type-2 diabetes, but many people need medications to control diabetes. This condition can be prevented or delayed with healthy lifestyle choices.
What are the causes of gestational diabetes?
Gestational diabetes occurs during the time of pregnancy as a result of hormonal changes that affect the functions of insulin. During the time of pregnancy, the body produces more hormones, which can make it harder for insulin to work effectively. If the pancreas can’t produce enough insulin to meet this increased demand, blood sugar levels can rise, leading to gestational diabetes. Some factors that may raise the risk include being overweight, having a family history of diabetes, being older when pregnant, and having had gestational diabetes in previous pregnancies.
What is the role of super speciality medication in diabetes management?
Super speciality medicines are high in cost & highly complex medicines that are used to treat a complex or rare condition, including different types of diabetes. These medications are prescribed for patients who have not achieved the desired outcomes with standard treatment.
These medications are made to specifically target physiological processes in order to improve the control of blood sugar and reduce the risks related to diabetes. These might consist of biologics, biosimilars, and other new treatments personalised to the needs of specific patients. Here are some examples:
● GLP-1 receptor agonist: These injectable medicines help in promoting satiety, inhibiting glucagon release, and increasing insulin secretion, which helps patients lose weight and improve blood sugar control.
● SGLT2 inhibitors: These medicines taken orally increase glucose excretion through urine, decrease glucose reabsorption in the kidneys, and may also prevent cardiovascular diseases.
● Insulin analogues: These specialised insulins are designed to function better than regular insulin, providing more dosing flexibility and better control over blood sugar levels.
Importance of speciality medication in diabetes management
● Improve blood sugar control: Specialty medication provides advanced choices for controlling blood sugar levels, particularly for individuals whose diabetes is difficult to treat with regular medicines. By helping to maintain normal HbA1c levels, these medications can lower the risk of complications such as hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia.
● Tailored care: Each patient’s experience with diabetes is different. Speciality medicines allow doctors to customise therapy according to the requirements, medical background, and lifestyle of each patient. Better results and adherence may result from this individualised strategy.
● Prevent complications: Diabetes is linked to a number of problems, such as nerve damage, renal disease, and cardiovascular disease. Speciality medicines lower the risk of serious complications by lowering blood sugar levels and improving cardiovascular health.
● Better quality of life: Taking care of diabetes can be quite difficult. Speciality medicines can improve a patient’s general health and support diabetes management, particularly those that help in weight loss and lower insulin resistance.
● Support for comorbidities: A large number of diabetic patients also suffer from other illnesses. In order to ensure a complete approach to patient health, specialised medications can assist in treating various comorbidities, such as hypertension or hyperlipidemia.
Specialty medications and diabetes treatment
When it comes to diabetes therapy, the type of diabetes, patient preferences, and the existence of other health issues all influence the medications used. Speciality medications are important in the following:
1. Management of type 1 diabetes
Insulin therapy is important for people with Type 1 Diabetes. Speciality insulins, such as rapid-acting or long-acting insulin analogues, provide more flexibility and control than ordinary insulins. Insulin pumps and continuous glucose monitoring systems (CGMs) are examples of speciality devices that greatly improve diabetes treatment.
2. Management of type 2 diabetes
In the treatment of Type 2 Diabetes, SGLT2 inhibitors and GLP-1 receptor agonists have become revolutionary. These medicines support cardiovascular health and weight management in addition to blood sugar regulation.
3. Management of Gestational Diabetes
It is essential for pregnant women with gestational diabetes to maintain normal blood sugar levels. Although insulin therapy is frequently the first-line treatment, depending on the specific situation, several oral medications may also be taken into consideration. Speciality medicines can offer customised treatments that take into account the particular requirements of the growing fetus as well as the mother.
Wrapping up
Speciality medicines are important for the management of diabetes, which help in controlling blood sugar levels and avoiding other health issues. Stay in touch with your doctor to find the right treatment plan which can improve overall health and wellness.
Written by MrMed, It is India’s most trusted super speciality pharmacy, dedicated to providing genuine medications with savings of up to 85%, delivered directly to your doorstep. Explore more and download the MrMed App now!
