What medicine is good for preventing complications of diabetes

In fact, there is no "best" anti-complication drug suitable for all diabetes patients. The most reliable one is always the drug that suits your own blood sugar level, basic health condition, and financial ability.

My second uncle has been suffering from type 2 diabetes for almost 9 years. In the past few years, he only took metformin to control his sugar and did not check for complications regularly. Last year, the physical examination showed that the urine microalbumin was high and the coronary arteries were a little calcified. When he went for a follow-up visit, the doctor added dapagliflozin. At first, he thought the new drug was expensive and was reluctant to take it. However, after taking it for half a year, he took a follow-up examination and the urine protein index basically returned to the normal range. The heart-related indicators were also very stable. Now everyone says it is money well spent.

But that doesn’t mean that old medicines are inferior to new ones. My uncle Zhang downstairs has been suffering from diabetes for almost 22 years. He has been taking metformin plus gliclazide. He is also strict with his mouth and walks 5,000 steps every day. Now he has no problems with his eyes, kidney function, or blood vessels. Every time he goes for a review, the doctor does not ask him to change to new medicines. He says that his current plan is very suitable. After all, everyone’s physical condition is very different. People with diabetes who have severe gastrointestinal problems may not be able to withstand the nausea reaction of GLP-1 receptor agonists. People with repeated urinary tract infections are not suitable for taking SGLT2 drugs. Blindly following the trend of switching to new drugs may cause problems.

Many people still have a misunderstanding, thinking that just taking anti-diabetic drugs is enough to prevent complications. The last time I went to the hospital to prescribe anti-diabetic drugs, I happened to hear the doctor say that an old diabetic friend had good blood sugar control, but his low-density lipoprotein had been as high as 3.8. He still refused to take statins, saying that he didn’t feel uncomfortable, so he didn’t need to take them. The doctor was worried, saying that if he continued like this, blood vessel plaques would become blocked, and he would have a myocardial infarction and cerebral infarction, and no matter how many hypoglycemic drugs he took, he wouldn’t be able to cure it. It’s interesting to say that controlling blood sugar and preventing complications is actually similar to maintaining an old house. Antidiabetic drugs are used to strengthen the main structure of the house. Antihypertensive drugs, lipid-lowering statins, and aspirin taken when necessary are used to waterproof doors and windows and make windproof exterior walls. If any of these are missing, the house is prone to problems in advance.

Many people with diabetes ask whether they can take traditional Chinese medicine to prevent complications. I have a friend with diabetes who has numbness in his hands and feet and is very thirsty at night. He consulted an endocrinologist at a regular traditional Chinese medicine hospital and prescribed medicine based on syndrome differentiation. He took western medicine for more than three months and his symptoms were indeed relieved a lot, but he never dared to stop western medicine. Currently, he does not have enough. There is enough evidence-based evidence to prove that traditional Chinese medicine alone can reduce the risk of complications. Don’t believe those folk remedies that are touted on the Internet as being able to cure diabetes and eliminate complications. I once saw someone in a diabetic group who took the so-called "purely natural complication miracle medicine" for half a year. In the end, he suffered liver damage and was hospitalized. The gain outweighed the gain.

You really need to choose the medicine that suits you. Don’t just copy other people’s medicine lists. Find a regular endocrinologist with your blood sugar monitoring records, liver and kidney function, blood lipids and blood pressure test reports in the past three months. Tell the doctor clearly whether you have any discomfort and how much medicine you can afford every month. The plan that is prescribed will be the best plan to prevent complications that is most suitable for you.