Why Diabetes Medications Keep You Diabetic Forever | (Not Metformin Though)
Medical Disclaimer: I am not a doctor. This is not medical advice. This article is for educational purposes only. This is just an observation made by an Engineer with a Master’s degree who knows how to read scientific papers.
You have every right to ask me why anyone should listen to someone who hasn’t had any medical background. Well, I have two parents who are both diabetic (Type-2) and one of them has been for as long as I have been alive. So I haven’t learned about diabetes by going to med school. I’ve lived it.
A quick primer on Diabetes: It is a disease in which your body cannot regulate the sugar in your blood with insulin properly. Type-1 is when your pancreas cannot produce insulin so you have to introduce exogenous insulin into your body. Type-2 is when you have too much insulin in your body. This causes all your cells to downregulate their insulin receptors causing your blood sugar levels to remain high after food consumption. The high blood sugar causes the pancreas to produce even more insulin and the vicious cycle continues.
In short, Type-2 Diabetes means you have too much insulin in your system. Want to see if you have too much insulin in your system? Do a fasting insulin test. It is one of the best markers to see if you are on your way to becoming diabetic.
Diabetes medication is meant to help you get your blood sugar levels under control after you have your meal. Because if your blood sugar remains high then your body enters into a hyperglycemic state.
Surely these medications are good for you. After all, they reduce blood sugar levels. But I am here to make the case that they are not good for you if you want to reverse your diabetes.
Let's look at three diabetes medications that my parents use:
- Amaryl/Glimepiride
“The primary mechanism of action of glimepiride in lowering blood glucose appears to be dependent on stimulating the release of insulin from functioning pancreatic beta cells.” — 2009 sanofi-aventis U.S. LLC
2. Glyburide/Glynase/Glibenclamide
“Glyburide (also know as glibenclamide) works by increasing the amount of insulin that your pancreas produces. This helps to reduce the amount of sugar in your blood.” —Michael Stewart 28 Feb 2020 on Patient.info
3. Galvus/Vildagliptin
“It (Vildagliptin)works by blocking the breakdown of incretin hormones in the body. These hormones are released after a meal and stimulate the pancreas to produce insulin. By blocking the breakdown of incretin hormones in the blood, vildagliptin prolongs their action, stimulating the pancreas to produce more insulin when blood glucose levels are high.” — European Medicines Agency
In essence, what the above three drugs do is to make your pancreas create more insulin. Sure it reduces your blood sugar levels, but at what cost? Your insulin receptors will downregulate even further, leaving you dependent on drugs that stimulate insulin production. These drugs will ensure you remain diabetic forever, keeping the pharmaceuticals happy.
Luckily Metformin is one drug that doesn’t operate on the same insulin inducing mechanism.
“Metformin reduces serum glucose level by several different mechanisms, notably through nonpancreatic mechanisms without increasing insulin secretion.” — Metformin: Current knowledge, J Res Med Sci. 2014 Jul
So if you want to be able to reverse your diabetes by keeping the insulin in your body low, ask your doctor to help you ween yourself off these insulin-inducing drugs and just stick with Metformin.
