Doctors prescribe different medications to treat type 1 and type 2 diabetes and help control your blood sugar. Treatment may vary depending on your diagnosis, health, and other factors.
Diabetes is a condition that leads to high levels of blood glucose (sugar) in the body.
This reaction happens when your body can’t make or use the hormone insulin like it’s supposed to. Produced by the pancreas, insulin helps your body use the sugar from the food you eat.
There are two major types of diabetes: type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes. People with either type need medications to help manage their blood sugar levels.
The types of medications you take depend on the type of diabetes you have. Learn more about the available treatment options.
Medications for type 1 diabetes
If you have type 1 diabetes, your body can’t make its own insulin. The goal of treatment is to replace the insulin that your pancreas can’t make.
Insulin
Insulin is the most common type of medication used in type 1 diabetes treatment. There are more than five classes of insulin sold in the United States under many names, both brand and generic.
Insulin is given as an infusion under the skin (with the help of an insulin pump) or as an injection.
There are multiple types of insulin. They vary based on how quickly they start working, how long they work, and whether they have a peak level of action.
The type of insulin you need depends on your body’s sensitivity to insulin and the severity of your insulin deficiency. These include the following:
Short-acting insulin
Regular or “short-acting” insulin may reach the bloodstream 30 minutes after injection and peak 2–3 hours afterward. These injections also work up to 3–6 hours.
Types of regular insulin include:
- Humulin R U-100
- Novolin R FlexPen
- Novolin R ReliOn
- Novolin R FlexPen ReliOn
Rapid-acting insulin
As the name suggests, rapid-acting insulin works within 15 minutes. The peak time is 1–2 hours after use, and the medication lasts between 2 and 4 hours.
The available types of rapid-acting insulin include:
