Sulfonylureas - An Alternative To Insulin?

Did you know that insulin shots are not the only drugs capable of treating diabetes? This has been a common belief for many years and one that has caused many people with high blood sugar levels not to consider consulting with their doctor about alternative methods of treatment.

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For some time now there have been drugs that you can take orally instead of dealing with insulin shots on a daily basis. One such pill that can be taken by mouth and has proven to work just as effective as insulin is a drug called Sulfonylureas.

Sulfonylureas was actually discovered on accident by scientists who used to treat soldiers with antibiotics. What they noticed was that a soldier's blood glucose levels would lower when given certain antibiotics that contained sulfur. Soon after, these scientists came up with various versions of the drug.

Regardless of what type of Sulfonylureas you may consider taking, they all have the following traits:

1. Sulfonylureas may not be effective for type 1 diabetics. This is because people with type 1 diabetes do not have the ability for their pancreas to release any insulin at all. And this drug works purely by causing the pancreas to release higher levels of insulin.

2. All versions of Sulfonylureas drugs may cause hypoglycemia.

3. Like most drugs, whether or not a person has diabetes, Sulfonylureas should not be ingested by pregnant women or by mothers who are nursing.

4. Unfortunately, all forms of the drug Sulfonylureas have a shelf life in terms of its ability to work in the human body. Many times they will not work at all for the diabetic. This is considered to be "primary failure". And for practically every diabetic who takes this drug, the effects will stop working completely after a few years. This is considered to be "secondary failure".

5. And similar to how other drugs taken for various health problems, Sulfonylureas are extremely potent when combined with one or more of the other classes of oral drugs so use caution and consult your doctor about other medications you are taking.