There are two types of diabetes there are called type 1 and type 2 diabetes. People with type 1 diabetes don’t produce insulin and people with type 2 diabetes don’t respond to insulin as well as they should. Both types of diabetes can lead to chronically high blood sugar levels that increase the risk of diabetes complications. About 90% to 95% of diabetes is type 2 diabetes. This kind of diabetes usually happens in people who are older, or in those who are overweight. There are many medications available to treat both types of diabetes. They each work in different ways to help people control their blood sugar. Today we will focus on the newest class of the medication. It is called Sodium-glucose transporter (SGLT) 2 inhibitors.
Mechanism of Action of (SGLT) 2 inhibitors:
Sodium-glucose transporter (SGLT) 2 inhibitors work by preventing the kidneys from holding on to glucose. Instead, the body gets rid of the glucose through the urine. This is a good thing because less glucose one has in the blood, less chance he or she has to damage his or her kidney and cause diabetes kidney disease. In fact, the American Diabetes Association recommends SGLT2 inhibitors as a possible treatment option where atherosclerotic, cardiovascular disease, heart failure, or chronic kidney disease are predominant. Here is the list of the medication in this class:
- dapagliflozin (Farxiga)
- dapagliflozin-metformin (Xigduo XR)
- canagliflozin (Invokana)
- canagliflozin-metformin (Invokamet)
- empagliflozin (Jardiance)
- empagliflozin-linagliptin (Glyxambi)
- empagliflozin-metformin (Synjardy)
- ertugliflozin (Steglatro)
Remember: In people with diabetes, nephron damage (diabetic kidney disease) is caused by excess glucose in the blood. However, this class of drugs increases the elimination of glucose and waste matter. Ask your health care provider which diabetes drug may be the best fit for you. Your doctor will make recommendations based on the type of diabetes you have, your health, and other factors. Your body is the Temple of God, please take good care of it.
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