Type 1 diabetes means using insulin. However, if you have type 2 diabetes, treatment plans can change depending on who you are.

Some people can manage it with healthy eating and exercise, or with oral medications, while others may also need to use insulin. The most important thing is to get to feeling your best. Insulin is a naturally occurring hormone secreted by your pancreas.

Your doctor will help you find the right type of insulin for your health needs. When it comes to syringes, your doctor will advise on which capacity you need based on your insulin dose.

In general, smaller capacity syringes can be easier to read and draw an accurate dose. Here are some tips:.

The onset is how long it takes for the insulin to start lowering your blood glucose. If you need a mix of two types, you can talk to your doctor about getting a premixed supply.

Rapid-acting insulin begins to work about 15 minutes after injection, peaks in about 1 hour, and continues to work for 2 to 4 hours. Regular or short-acting insulin usually reaches the bloodstream within 30 minutes after injection, peaks anywhere from 2 to 3 hours after injection, and is effective for approximately 3 to 6 hours.

Intermediate-acting insulin generally reaches the bloodstream about 2 to 4 hours after injection, peaks 4 to 12 hours later, and is effective for about 12 to 18 hours. Long-acting insulin reaches the bloodstream several hours after injection and tends to lower glucose levels fairly evenly over a hour period.

Learn more about insulin. You can find an insulin routine that will keep your blood glucose near normal, help you feel good, and fit your lifestyle. You may want to use an insulin inhaler to avoid using needles.

Inhaled insulin is only for adults with type 1 or type 2 diabetes. Taking insulin with an inhaler is less common than using a needle and syringe. A jet injector is a device that sends a fine spray of insulin into the skin at high pressure instead of using a needle to deliver the insulin.

It is used less commonly than a needle and syringe or a pen. An artificial pancreas is a system of three devices that work together to mimic how a healthy pancreas controls blood glucose in the body.

A continuous glucose monitor CGM tracks blood glucose levels every few minutes using a small sensor inserted under the skin that is held in place with an adhesive pad. The CGM wirelessly sends the information to a program on a smartphone or an insulin infusion pump. The program calculates how much insulin you need.

The insulin infusion pump will adjust how much insulin is given from minute to minute to help keep your blood glucose level in your target range. An artificial pancreas is mainly used to help people with type 1 diabetes. You may need to take medicines to manage your type 2 diabetes, in addition to consuming healthy foods and beverages and being physically active.

You can take many diabetes medicines by mouth. These medicines are called oral medicines. Most people with type 2 diabetes start with metformin pills. Metformin also comes as a liquid.

Metformin helps your liver make less glucose and helps your body use insulin better. This drug may help you lose a small amount of weight. Other oral medicines act in different ways to lower blood glucose levels.

Combining two or three kinds of diabetes medicines can lower blood glucose levels better than taking just one medicine. Read about different kinds of diabetes medicines PDF, 2. If you have type 1 diabetes, your doctor may recommend you take other medicines, in addition to insulin, to help control your blood glucose.

Some of these medicines work to slow how fast food and beverages move through your stomach. These medicines also slow down how quickly and how high your blood glucose levels rise after eating.

Other medicines work to block certain hormones in your digestive system that raise blood glucose levels after meals or help the kidneys to remove more glucose from your blood.

Besides insulin, other types of injected medicines PDF, 2. These medicines, known as glucagon-like peptide-1 GLP-1 receptor agonists, 3 may make you feel less hungry and help you lose some weight.

GLP-1 medicines are not substitutes for insulin. Side effects are problems that result from taking a medicine. Ask your doctor whether your diabetes medicine can cause hypoglycemia or other side effects, such as upset stomach and weight gain.

Aim to take your diabetes medicines as your doctor instructs you, to help prevent side effects and diabetes problems.

If medicines and lifestyle changes are not enough to manage your diabetes, there are other treatments that might help you. These treatments include weight-loss bariatric surgery for certain people with type 1 or type 2 diabetes, or pancreatic islet transplantation for some people with type 1 diabetes.

Weight-loss surgery are operations that help you lose weight by making changes to your digestive system. Weight-loss surgery is also called bariatric or metabolic surgery.

This type of surgery may help some people who have obesity and type 2 diabetes lose a large amount of weight and bring their blood glucose levels back to a healthy range. How long the improved response lasts can vary by patient, type of weight-loss surgery, and the amount of weight the person lost.

Other factors include how long a person had diabetes and whether the person used insulin. Some people with type 2 diabetes may no longer need to use diabetes medicines after weight-loss surgery. Researchers are studying whether weight-loss surgery can help control blood glucose levels in people with type 1 diabetes who have obesity.

Pancreatic islet transplantation is an experimental treatment for people with type 1 diabetes who have trouble controlling their blood glucose levels. Pancreatic islets are clusters of cells in the pancreas that make the hormone insulin.

A pancreatic islet transplantation replaces destroyed islets with new islets from organ donors. The new islets make and release insulin. Because researchers are still studying pancreatic islet transplantation , the procedure is only available to people enrolled in research studies.

The NIDDK conducts and supports clinical trials in many diseases and conditions, including diabetes. The trials look to find new ways to prevent, detect, or treat disease and improve quality of life.

Clinical trials—and other types of clinical studies —are part of medical research and involve people like you. When you volunteer to take part in a clinical study, you help health care professionals and researchers learn more about disease and improve health care for people in the future.

Find out if clinical trials are right for you. Watch a video of NIDDK Director Dr. Griffin P. Rodgers explaining the importance of participating in clinical trials. You can view a filtered list of clinical studies on insulin, medicines, and other diabetes treatments covered in this health topic that are federally funded, open, and recruiting at www.

You can expand or narrow the list to include clinical studies from industry, universities, and individuals; however, the National Institutes of Health does not review these studies and cannot ensure they are safe.

Always talk with your health care provider before you participate in a clinical study. This content is provided as a service of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases NIDDK , part of the National Institutes of Health.

NIDDK translates and disseminates research findings to increase knowledge and understanding about health and disease among patients, health professionals, and the public.

Content produced by NIDDK is carefully reviewed by NIDDK scientists and other experts. The NIDDK would like to thank Stuart A. Weinzimer, M. English English Español. Diabetes Overview What Is Diabetes? Show child pages.

Risk Factors for Type 2 Diabetes Show child pages. Preventing Type 2 Diabetes Show child pages. Managing Diabetes Show child pages. Preventing Diabetes Problems Show child pages. On this page: What medicines might I take for diabetes? What type of diabetes do I have?

What are the different types of insulin? What are the different ways to take insulin? What oral medicines treat type 2 diabetes? What other injectable medicines treat diabetes?

What should I know about side effects of diabetes medicines? What questions should I ask about my diabetes medicines? Do I have other treatment options for my diabetes?

What medicines might I take for diabetes? Type 1 diabetes If you have type 1 diabetes , you must take insulin because your pancreas does not make it. Type 2 diabetes Some people with type 2 diabetes can control their blood glucose level by making lifestyle changes.

Gestational diabetes If you have gestational diabetes , you can manage your blood glucose level by following a healthy eating plan and doing a moderate-intensity physical activity, such as brisk walking for minutes, each week.

Table 1.

Insulin helps blood sugar enter the cells in your body for use as energy. High blood sugar is damaging to the body and causes many of the symptoms and complications of diabetes. Type 1 diabetes was once called insulin-dependent or juvenile diabetes, but it can develop at any age.

Currently, no one knows how to prevent type 1 diabetes, but it can be treated successfully by:. Daily care will include serving healthy foods, giving insulin injections, and watching for and treating hypoglycemia low blood sugar. They will help you understand the treatment plan and how to help your child stay healthy.

Much of the information that follows applies to children as well as adults. Type 1 diabetes is thought to be caused by an autoimmune reaction the body attacks itself by mistake.

This reaction destroys the cells in the pancreas that make insulin, called beta cells. This process can go on for months or years before any symptoms appear. Some people have certain genes traits passed on from parent to child that make them more likely to develop type 1 diabetes.

A trigger in the environment, such as a virus, may also play a part in developing type 1 diabetes. It can take months or years before symptoms of type 1 diabetes are noticed. Type 1 diabetes symptoms can develop in just a few weeks or months.

Once symptoms appear, they can be severe. Some type 1 diabetes symptoms are similar to symptoms of other health conditions. If you think you could have type 1 diabetes, see your doctor to get your blood sugar tested.

Untreated diabetes can lead to very serious—even fatal—health problems. Risk factors for type 1 diabetes are not as clear as for prediabetes and type 2 diabetes. However, studies show that family history plays a part.

A simple blood test will let you know if you have diabetes. If your doctor thinks you have type 1 diabetes, your blood may also be tested for autoantibodies.

These substances indicate your body is attacking itself and are often found with type 1 diabetes but not with type 2. You may have your urine tested for ketones too. Ketones are produced when your body burns fat for energy.

Having ketones in your urine indicates you have type 1 diabetes instead of type 2. Unlike many health conditions, diabetes is managed mostly by you, with support from your health care team:.

Your pancreas makes more insulin to try to get cells to respond. High blood sugar is damaging to the body and can cause other serious health problems, such as heart disease , vision loss , and kidney disease.

A simple blood test will let you know if you have diabetes. Unlike many health conditions, diabetes is managed mostly by you, with support from your health care team including your primary care doctor, foot doctor, dentist, eye doctor, registered dietitian nutritionist, diabetes educator, and pharmacist , family, and other important people in your life.

Managing diabetes can be challenging, but everything you do to improve your health is worth it! You may be able to manage your diabetes with healthy eating and being active, or your doctor may prescribe insulin, other injectable medications, or oral diabetes medicines to help manage your blood sugar and avoid complications.

Ask your doctor how often you should check it and what your target blood sugar levels should be. Keeping your blood sugar levels as close to target as possible will help you prevent or delay diabetes-related complications.

Stress is a part of life, but it can make managing diabetes harder, including managing your blood sugar levels and dealing with daily diabetes care. Regular physical activity, getting enough sleep, and relaxation exercises can help.

Talk to your doctor and diabetes educator about these and other ways you can manage stress. Whether you were just diagnosed with diabetes or have had it for some time, meeting with a diabetes educator is a great way to get support and guidance, including how to:.

Childhood obesity rates are rising, and so are the rates of type 2 diabetes in youth. Using a flash glucose monitor or continuous glucose monitor can also make it easier for people with type 2 diabetes to monitor their blood sugar levels without having to do so many finger prick checks.

Find out if you may qualify for a flash glucose monitor or continuous glucose monitor on the NHS. Some people can manage their type 2 diabetes through healthy eating, being more active or losing weight. And some people have put their type 2 diabetes into remission through weight loss. Medication may be necessary to put your blood sugar levels in the healthy range.

And you may be prescribed diabetes medication that can also help keep your heart healthy. So you may be taking a combination of treatments. Your healthcare team should consider what medication you are already taking, your preferences and make a shared decision with you about switching treatments or adding further medication.

Because medicines can affect you in different ways, your healthcare team will speak to you about what's best and discuss any side effects. Find out more about the side effects of insulin and the side effects of metformin.

The fastest way to treat high blood sugar levels is with insulin. If someone has dangerously high blood sugar levels — and are in DKA or HHS — they will need to go to hospital where insulin, replacement fluids and nutrients will be given by an intravenous drip.