Need-to-Know Details About Medications
By Dr. Beth Ann Coonrod

There are important details for an individual to know about each insulin and/or diabetes medication he is taking. Two of them are the name and the timing of when it should be taken.

Name
At one time, there were essentially two types of insulin. A person could describe his insulin as "clear" or "cloudy", and it was fairly easy to determine the type of insulin to which he was referring. Also at one time, there was only one way in which an oral diabetes medication worked, so a person's saying that he took a "pill" for diabetes carried some meaning. That is not the case anymore.

As more and more has been learned about how to develop insulins that act in different ways (how quickly they start working, when they work hardest, how long they last), more and more types of insulin have been produced. "Clear" can mean any of a variety of insulins, as can "cloudy"; so nowadays, an insulin can not be distinguished by a description of its appearance.

As more and more has been learned about the diabetes-related processes that go on in the body of a person with type 2 diabetes, more and more types of medications have been developed, each targeting different processes. This means that they work in different ways from each other; so these days, "pill" can mean any of a variety of types of oral medications.

Additionally, there are now injectable medications used for treating diabetes that are not insulin. Therefore, "taking shots" does not necessarily mean that a person is taking insulin.

Timing
The way in which a type of insulin or a non-insulin medication works factors into the timing of when it should be taken. Some are prescribed in specific timing related to a meal; others are not. Some are prescribed for a consistent time on the clock; others are not. Besides "when", a person needs to know the answers to such questions as:

• What does "with food" mean – before eating, with the first bite, or after the meal? If before eating, how long before; and if I forget to take it before I start eating, what should I do?

• What does "at bedtime" mean – whenever I go to bed, or is consistent timing important?

Other Details
This is not an all-inclusive list of the details that are important for a person to know about the insulin and/or diabetes medication he is taking. Among other details are doses, side effects, precautions for specific situations, proper storage, and the correct way to prepare and inject insulin and injectable medications.

Pharmacists, physicians, and Certified Diabetes Educators are among the team of health care providers that can help an individual learn about his medications. However, in order to do so, the individual will first need to be able to provide them with the exact names of what he is taking.

Dr. Beth Ann Coonrod is the Diabetes Disease Management Coordinator of the Diabetes Empowerment Program at the St. Clair Hospital Diabetes Center. For more information, call (412) 942-2151 or visit www.stclair.org

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