Ask the Diabetes Educator Archive

12/19/05

Q:
If my blood sugar is very high what do I do to make it come down? My blood pressure seems to be elevated also. I have been put on additional medications: Diabeta three times a day with meals and Glucophage 1000mg in the morning and night. My Dr. says that if this does not work I may have to take insulin.

A:
I wish I had an easy answer for you, but it's not so simple. Have you gotten sound guidance for healthy lifestyle habits? This is the first best place to start. There are other medication routes as well. Sometimes, a course of insulin therapy is enough to detox the beta cells of the pancreas, so that therapies other than insulin are effective later on. You may even be able to take no medications at all if you can be impeccable with your lifestyle management. If you feel you are already following a healthy lifestyle, seeking the advice of and endocrinologist may be of benefit.