Health Medical Homework Help

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Mabel Cristina Rodriguez

St. Thomas University

Advanced Clinical Pharmacology

Dr. Magdaleina Joseph

Discussion # 5

Diabetes is a disease in which your blood glucose levels are too high. Glucose comes from the foods we eat and insulin, a hormone in our body, helps the glucose enter your cells in order to provide energy to our body. There are differences between Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. Type 1 diabetes means your body is unable to make insulin. In Type 2, your body either does not make insulin or is unable to use it well. Type 2 is the more common of the 2, and with not enough insulin in the body, glucose remains in your blood and your blood sugar rises.

Over time, having excess glucose in your body can be dangerous to your health. It can damage your kidneys, eyes and nerves. Being diabetic can also have serious effects on your heart. Heart disease and strokes have been reported with some patients who are diabetic. While we cannot do anything to prevent Type 1 diabetes, there is a lot we can do to prevent Type 2. Type 2 diabetics need to change their diet and lifestyle if they want to reverse or maintain their blood levels stable. Diet and exercise are what is recommended first before a medication regimen is recommended.

In this case, Ms. Jones is said to be 60 years old and obese. Changing her diet and adding exercise will definitely help improve her condition and maintain her levels stable. Although she is concerned about her diagnosis and having to give herself shots, she needs to be told that the medication Glyburide she has been prescribed is an oral medication, not an injectable as it would be with Type 1 diabetes. Glyburide, along with others in its class of sulfonylureas, exerts its mechanism of action based on increasing the secretion of insulin from beta cells in the pancreas (Affres et al., 2020). This medication is used along with diet and exercise for the management of Type 2 diabetes. Glyburide works by helping the pancreas produce insulin, which is needed in order to break down sugar in the body. It also helps the body use insulin efficiently, but only for those whose bodies produce insulin naturally. It is important to note that for those who are unable to produce insulin at all, as in the case of Type 1 diabetics, this medication would not work.

Patient adherence to recommended treatment regimen is one of the key contributors to quality health outcomes in T2DM (Balkhi et al., 2019). Ms. Jones should be properly educated on oral antidiabetics, especially glyburide which has been prescribed to her. Ms. Jones needs to understand that this medication will help control her blood sugar but will not cure diabetes. She should also be told to take the medication each day at the same time and if a dose is missed, it should be taken as soon as she remembers. The medication is best taken with breakfast at the start of the day. Ms. Jones should watch for signs and symptoms of hyperglycemia such as increased thirst or urination. Avoid alcohol and tanning beds while on this medication and report any side effects such as severe skin rash, dark urine, jaundice, fever, chills or mouth sores, to your health care provider immediately. Ms. Jones should also understand this medication is prescribed along with diet and exercise and therefore, she needs to maintain a healthy diet and add exercise daily in order to obtain maximum results and lower the risk of complications.

References

Affres, H., Senat, M., Letourneau, A., Deruelle, P., Coustols-Valat, M., Bouchghoul, H., &

Bouyer, J. (2020). Glyburide therapy for gestational diabetes: Glycemic control, maternal hypoglycemia, and treatment failure. Diabetes & Metabolism, 101210. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.diabet.2020.11.002 (Links to an external site.)

Balkhi, B., Alwhaibi, M., Alqahtani, N., Alhawassi, T., Alshammari, T. M., Mahmoud, M.,

Almetwazi, M., Ata, S., & Kamal, K. M. (2019). Oral antidiabetic medication adherence and glycemic control among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: a cross-sectional retrospective study in a tertiary hospital in Saudi Arabia. BMJ open, 9(7), e029280. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2019-029280