There is a rush to find a new treatment for diabetes because there are so many new cases of this disease being diagnosed every day. Scientists are confident that new technology and improved research methods will soon lead them to more effective treatments, and eventually to a permanent cure.

Meglitinides

Oral medications are a primary consideration for any type of new treatment for diabetes.  Some of the best drugs that are used to treat Diabetes are the ones that act very quickly. These medicines are used to help control adult onset diabetes and they are the source of a large portion of current research programs.

Some of these drugs are known as meglitinides. They are extremely fast-acting and a patient must take them about 30 minutes before they eat.  That way they will have time to stimulate the pancreas to release the insulin that will be required to keep your blood sugar under control.

The biggest drawback to taking this medication is that the dosage amount needs to be precisely monitored and blood sugar levels need to be checked frequently. Starlix and Prandin are two examples of meglitinide drugs.

Alpha-Glucosidase Inhibitors

There are some newer drugs that have been discovered and released as part of the new treatment for diabetes efforts.  These are known as alpha-glucosidase inhibitors. These work differently from the meglitinide group. Precose and Glyset are the names of two of these medications.

The alpha-glucosidase inhibiots actually stop starch from being broken down in the GI tract. This prevents the blood glucose levels from rising after a meal has been eaten. Glyset is used a bit more often than Precose because the Precose has created more problems for patients. The problems have involved excessive flatulence, bloating and cramping. All of these have been unsettling side effects that patients have experienced when using these drugs.

Gazing into the Future

Studies are showing that there are a number of positive benefits for patients who are taking some of the latest diabetic drugs. Physicians and other scientists are now concentrating on helping their diabetic patients by using medications that serve more than one function. Because diabetes affects so many body systems it is necessary to find medications that can help control blood glucose levels, inflammation, lipids and blood pressure simultaneously.

It is these new treatment for diabetes options that  are proving to be powerful workhorses with multiple beneficial effects. Some of the newer treatments are being discovered by changing the way that some diabetic drugs are being used.

For instance “at risk” individuals who exercise and eat a healthy diet can also take Precose or Metformin and further reduce their chances of developing Type 2 diabetes.

Patients with type 2 diabetes who are prescribed the oral medication, Actos is one of the new treatment for diabetes medications that is shown to decrease the risk of a person having a heart attack or stroke.

New Treatment for Diabetes Seen on the Horizon

One of the newest medications for diabetes has recently received FDA approval. This drug, known as Januvia, is a new treatment for diabetes. Januvia is classified as a DPP 4 inhibitor and when it blocks the production of this naturally occurring enzyme it also raises the level of a hormone known as Incretin. This hormone is very helpful at regulating and correcting blood sugar levels in the bloodstream, and it can stimulate the production and release of insulin by the pancreas.

Stem cell research, genetic manipulation and other cutting edge technologies are being used in the war on diabetes. Although progress is being made it takes time for any new treatment for diabetes to discovered, tested and approved. Today we are seeing new hope being generated because of the success that some diabetic treatments are producing.