The importance of taking diabetes medicine
When you eat, some of your food is broken down into a kind of sugar called glucose. The sugar travels in your blood to all of your body's cells. Insulin helps your cells produce the energy you need for healthy living. Your body needs the right amount of insulin and sugar all the time to work well.
Sugar from food makes your blood sugar level go up. Insulin lowers blood sugar levels by helping sugar move from your bloodstream into your cells. When you have diabetes, your body doesn’t make any insulin or it doesn’t make enough insulin, or it prevents the insulin you do make from working right. You usually need to take medicine to control your blood sugar.
Taking medicine when you need it helps control blood sugar levels so your body’s cells will have the energy they need to keep you feeling well. The medicine you take is working right if it keeps your blood sugar levels near normal.
Over time, high blood sugar can harm your blood vessels and nerves. This can lead to:
- Heart and blood vessel problems
- Eye disease
- Kidney disease
- Nerve disease
- Infections of the skin or gums
- Problems with your legs and feet
Keeping blood sugar levels as close to normal as possible may lower your risk for these serious health problems.
Taking medicines as directed, together with healthy eating and physical activity, is the main way people with diabetes can keep their blood sugar levels in their target range.
