Diabetes is a common chronic disease, and the level of blood sugar is the only criterion for diagnosing and treating diabetes. Generally, antidiabetic drugs are used to control blood sugar during treatment, but many patients easily fall into misconceptions when using these drugs.
Misconception 1: Only take medication when symptoms appear
Some diabetic patients tend to estimate their blood sugar control based on their subjective symptoms. Since many type 2 diabetes patients do not experience obvious symptoms, they may feel little difference between taking medication and not taking medication for a certain period of time, and thus believe that their blood sugar can be controlled without medication.
Correct understanding: In fact, only when blood sugar levels significantly increase, patients will experience typical symptoms of diabetes such as increased thirst, frequent urination, increased appetite, and weight loss. If there are no obvious discomfort symptoms, arbitrarily reducing the dosage of antidiabetic drugs or stopping medication altogether often leads to poor blood sugar control. The situation where blood sugar can be well controlled by diet and exercise alone is rare and only occurs in a small number of patients with mild type 2 diabetes. The majority of type 2 diabetes patients require medication.
Misconception 2: Blindly trust imported drugs
The constant influx of new antidiabetic drugs in the market is always popular among diabetic patients, who believe that new drugs are targeted and therefore effective.
Correct understanding: In fact, the evaluation of a drug's effectiveness should be based on its efficacy, safety, economy, and applicability, rather than whether it is a new drug, an imported drug, or an expensive drug. It is not wise to blindly reject domestically produced drugs, cheap drugs, or old drugs.
Misconception 3: Only take medication, no regular check-ups
Regular monitoring of blood sugar during medication can help understand the control of the disease and the clinical treatment effect. It also serves as an important basis for selecting medication and adjusting dosage. With the progression of the disease, the effectiveness of many sulfonylurea antidiabetic drugs (such as Xiaoken Wan, Youjiang Tang, and Dami Kang) may gradually decrease, which is known as "secondary drug failure".
Correct understanding: Some patients do not pay attention to regular check-ups, thinking that as long as they continuously receive treatment, they have a sense of security. However, if secondary drug failure occurs but goes unnoticed, it is as if the disease is not being treated at all.
Misconception 4: Traditional Chinese medicine can cure diabetes
Until now, the exact cause of primary diabetes has not been fully understood, so there is no definitive cure for diabetes. Although appropriate treatment may alleviate or eliminate clinical symptoms, and restore blood sugar and urine sugar to normal levels, patients need to adhere to treatment to prevent relapse.
Correct understanding: Neither traditional Chinese medicine nor Western medicine can fundamentally solve diabetes. Traditional Chinese medicine does have certain effects in the prevention and treatment of chronic complications of diabetes, while Western medicine has significant and stable effects in blood sugar control. Combining traditional Chinese and Western medicine is a wise choice for the treatment of diabetes.
Misconception 5: Not taking antidiabetic drugs on time
The timing of taking antidiabetic drugs is crucial. For example, sulfonylureas and non-sulfonylurea drugs should be taken 30 minutes before meals, metformin should be taken during or after meals, alpha-glucosidase inhibitors should be taken with the first bite of a meal, and glitazones can be taken before or after meals. Forgetting to take medication is common, and although it may not seem like a big deal at the time, skipping medication can cause fluctuations in blood sugar or keep blood sugar levels high.
Correct understanding: If a sulfonylurea drug is missed and the next meal is approaching, there is no need to make up for it. If it is a metformin drug, it should be taken as soon as remembered. If it is an alpha-glucosidase inhibitor, it can be taken during or after the meal, but no need to make up for it if a long time has passed since the meal. If it is a once-a-day medication, it can be taken at noon if remembered, but no need to make up for it if remembered only in the evening. It is unnecessary to make up for missed medication before going out or exercising.
Misconception 6: Changing medication if the effect is not good
Patients often expect to see immediate results after taking medication, but the effectiveness of some antidiabetic drugs tends to show gradual progress. With prolonged use of a drug, its effectiveness gradually becomes apparent. Furthermore, each antidiabetic drug has a maximum effective dose, and sometimes unsatisfactory results may be due to insufficient dosage. Many patients are not aware of this and consider the medication ineffective if the blood sugar does not decrease to their satisfaction after a few days, and they rush to change medication.
Correct understanding: In fact, some antidiabetic drugs (such as insulin sensitizer) may take half a month to a month to achieve optimal blood sugar-lowering effects. Therefore, do not easily assume that a certain medication is ineffective for oneself. The correct approach is to gradually adjust the dosage of the medication based on the blood sugar level. When the maximum effective dose of the medication is reached and the blood sugar still does not decrease or is poorly controlled, then consider switching to another medication or using it in combination with other drugs. Frequent changes in medication make it difficult to achieve the maximum blood sugar-lowering effect of the medication and may cause fluctuations in blood sugar or even accelerate the ineffectiveness of the medication.
Misconception 7: Mixing similar medications
Combining similar medications is a major misconception in medication. For example, taking Xiaoken Wan with Meipida, both of which are sulfonylureas. Oral antidiabetic drugs have many categories, and each category has a different mechanism of action. Although they may have similarities, they should not be mixed because the combination of similar medications can sometimes lead to severe hypoglycemia.
Correct understanding: When choosing medication, diabetic patients should not believe that more expensive is better. Do not self-medicate or switch medications based on the instructions. Regular check-ups and adjustment of treatment plans by specialized doctors should be sought for the best results.
Misconception 8: Eager to lower blood sugar and taking excessive medication
Many patients, in order to quickly lower their blood sugar, tend to take multiple medications in combination or take excessive doses. However, the consequences of doing so can only accelerate the occurrence of side effects and may lead to hypoglycemia, or even hypoglycemic coma, which is extremely dangerous.
Correct understanding: The internal environment of the body is difficult to adapt to sudden changes in blood sugar, so blood sugar control should not be rushed. It should be lowered steadily.
In conclusion, it has been proven that diabetic patients must follow the correct medication instructions given by their doctors. Otherwise, they may fall into misconceptions, delay treatment, and further worsen their condition. On the basis of medication treatment, patients can also use dietary therapy to complement and regulate their condition. Combining medication and diet is also a good treatment method.
