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There is a common misconception that if a person gets diagnosed with diabetes – especially Type 2 diabetes – they can make some changes in diet and lifestyle and not have to begin taking medication that their doctor prescribes.  Depending on your health care professional, in a small number of cases it is possible that medication will not be necessary right away.  This depends on numerous conditions including whether you are pre-diabetic, whether your symptoms can be controlled without medication because they are not severe or have not progressed, or whether there are natural or homeopathic alternatives to help control your symptoms.

The best advice, however, comes directly from your doctor or medical practitioner.  If they tell you to take medication for your condition, you should do so.  If you trust your doctor, you should do what he or she says to do.  If not, you may need to get a second opinion or another doctor.

Years ago, when individuals were found to have Type 2 diabetes, doctors often put them on a specific diabetic diet and a good exercise regimen and helped track their blood sugar levels to see if they were coming down over the period of a few months.  Sometimes this worked and many times it didn’t.  The problem is that we know more now, and research has shown damage that diabetes can do to the body.  The longer the need for insulin, the more potential there is for damage to the body.  Therefore, even with diet and exercise, without medication or insulin injections, the kidneys, eyes, cardiovascular system, nerves and brain could be affected.

Another situation that has been more prevalent most recently is that there are  more children who have Type 2 diabetes.  This was not the case in the past.  If a child is diagnosed with diabetes – especially Type 2 diabetes – they should start their medication immediately if the doctor prescribes it.

This is not to say that diet and exercise are not helpful when it comes to diabetes, because they are.  However, if medication is prescribed, it will help control your symptoms even better when combined with diet and exercise. 

When trying to control your diabetes it is important to think of it in the same terms as you would think of high blood pressure or heart disease.  If your doctor prescribed medication for those conditions you certainly would not delay taking them because of obvious and possibly immediate consequences.  People don’t always realize that the consequences and complications of diabetes may not be immediate, but may very well be just as serious in the long run, so take your medicine!  Now.