Do I need lifelong medication for diabetes?Diabetes mellitus is a chronic metabolic disease in which blood sugar rises due to insufficient or impaired insulin secretion. Diabetes not only affects the quality of life of patients, but also increases the risk of complications in multiple systems such as cardiovascular and cerebrovascular, kidney, eye, and nerves, seriously threatening the health and longevity of patients. Therefore, blood sugar control is the key to diabetes** and an important means to prevent and delay complications.
In order to answer this question, we invited Dr. Li, director of the endocrinology department of a tertiary hospital, to answer the principles and methods of medication for diabetic patients.
Dr. Li first introduced the classification of diabetes, which can be divided into the following types according to ** and clinical characteristics:
Type 1 diabetes Type 1 diabetes is caused by an autoimmune response that destroys pancreatic islet cells, resulting in an absolute deficiency of insulin, which mostly occurs in adolescence and requires lifelong insulin replacement**.
Type 2 diabetes Type 2 diabetes is due to insufficient insulin secretion and insulin resistance, resulting in an increase in blood sugar, which mostly occurs in middle and old age, and is related to genetics, obesity, diet, exercise and other factors.
Gestational diabetesGestational diabetes mellitus refers to abnormal glucose metabolism that is first detected during pregnancy, most of which return to normal after delivery, but some patients will develop into type 2 diabetes and require blood glucose monitoring during pregnancy and postpartum**.
Special types of diabetesSpecial types of diabetes mellitus refers to diabetes caused by genetics, medications, endocrine, pancreas, and other factors, which need to be diagnosed and diagnosed for a specific purpose.
Dr. Li said that according to the different types of diabetes, the principles and methods of medication are also different, and in general, there are the following points to pay attention to:
For patients with type 1 diabetes, insulin must be used for life and cannot be stopped, otherwise severe ketoacidosis can occur, which can be life-threatening. The type, dose, timing and mode of insulin need to be individualized according to the patient's diet, exercise, blood sugar level and other factors to avoid hypoglycemia or hyperglycemia.
For people with type 2 diabetes, the need for lifelong medication depends on the patient's condition and blood sugar control. Generally speaking, for patients with mild and moderate type 2 diabetes, if they can achieve the goal of blood sugar control through lifestyle interventions such as diet, exercise, **, etc., they can not take medication, or stop taking medication after a period of time. However, these patients still need to monitor their blood sugar regularly, and if they notice an increase in blood sugar, they need to resume their medications promptly**.
For patients with severe and refractory type 2 diabetes, because the function of pancreatic islets has been severely impaired, they need to take hypoglycemic drugs for a long time, and even need to use insulin, and the drug cannot be stopped, otherwise it will lead to blood sugar loss and increase the risk of complications.
For patients with gestational diabetes, it is necessary to strictly control blood sugar during pregnancy to ensure the health of the mother and baby, generally use insulin**, and do not use oral hypoglycemic drugs to avoid adverse effects on the fetus. 
After delivery, most patients will have normal blood sugar and can stop taking the medication**, but a glucose tolerance test will need to be done after 6 to 8 weeks to determine whether they have changed to type 2 diabetes, and if so, they will need to continue taking the medication**.
For special types of diabetic patients, it needs to be carried out according to the specific **, and some patients can be removed ** to normalize blood sugar without the need to take medication for life. For example, if the drug causes diabetes, the blood sugar will drop after the drug is stoppedSome patients need to take medication for life, such as hereditary diabetes, where insulin or other glucose-lowering drugs are needed for life due to genetic defects, abnormal insulin secretion or action.
Dr. Li concluded that whether diabetic patients need to take medication for life should be assessed and decided individually according to factors such as the type of diabetes, the condition, and blood sugar control.
Diabetic patients should choose the appropriate type and dosage of drugs under the guidance of doctors, have regular examinations, and adjust them in time to achieve the best effect of blood sugar control, reduce the risk of complications, and improve the quality of life.