You Can Get Off Insulin. Here's How.

Jun 21st, 2021

If you’re one of the almost 30 million people in the United States living with diabetes, insulin is a familiar issue. Insulin is a hormone that helps you regulate your blood sugar levels and transform food into energy that your whole body can use. Problems with insulin in your body lead to diabetes, chronic high blood sugar, and many potential serious, long-term complications.

At Morris Medical Center in Fort Myers and LaBelle, Florida, Dr. Dareld R. Morris, II treats new and existing patients with diabetes. If you’re interested in managing your type 2 diabetes without insulin injections, talk to Dr. Morris about your options this spring.

Diabetes and insulin

If you’ve been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, your pancreas, the organ in your abdomen that produces insulin, doesn’t make enough of this chemical to keep your blood sugar levels under control. For people with type 2 diabetes, your body becomes resistant to insulin over time, leading to elevated blood sugar and blood sugar swings.

Type 2 diabetes is by far the more common type, and can often be prevented. While type 1 diabetes is typically diagnosed in childhood, type 2 diabetes tends to develop later based on factors including diet, exercise, and other lifestyle choices.

If you’re developing type 2 diabetes, you may go through initial diagnoses like pre-diabetes or insulin resistance. At that point, many cases of diabetes can be resolved with lifestyle changes. You don’t need to develop full-blown diabetes with the right medical care and support.

Managing diabetes without taking insulin

A common treatment for diabetes is insulin injections. Patients with type 1 diabetes will need to keep taking insulin to make up for deficiencies in natural levels. For patients with type 2 diabetes, however, insulin injections may only be temporary.

Added pounds increase your insulin resistance. You can work to manage your blood sugar levels by losing weight, eating right, and getting and staying active. If you can get your blood sugar under control through diet and exercise, you may not need to continue using insulin or oral diabetes medications, or may be able to use a significantly reduced dosage.

If you have untreated or poorly controlled diabetes, you might only need insulin injections for a few days or weeks to support your pancreas until it can overcome glucose toxicity and return to normal functioning. Then, oral medications may be enough to manage your diabetes.

The medical support you need

If you can lose weight and change your dietary habits, you may not need to take insulin permanently. Don’t battle diabetes on your own. With Dr. Morris’s care, your chances for long-term success in managing your blood sugar levels and body weight improve.

Dr. Morris educates you on the right changes to make to regulate your blood sugar and reduce glucose toxicity around your pancreas. With comprehensive and individualized weight loss support, your goals can become a reality this summer.

To learn more about your treatment options for diabetes at Morris Medical Center, schedule an appointment now. You can book over the phone, or with the online tool.