As a Medication Assistant you work with diabetic clients all the time, but why is it important to understand diabetes and medications that diabetics take? By understanding the disease, you can recognize medication side effects and common diabetic complication's. If you are a C.R.M.A. , annual training is required under state regulations!
•Type II diabetes or adult-onset diabetes,
is caused by insulin resistance. Beta cells in the
pancreas continue to produce insulin, but the body needs more
insulin than is being produced.
•Treatment for Type II Diabetes includes three things:
1. Medication
2. Healthy diet
3. Prevention of complications
Dietary requirements are the same for diabetics and non-diabetics: plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean proteins. Diabetics need to monitor their carbohydrate intake and keep the total carbohydrates to 45 grams or less per meal. A dietician can help in meal planning. Read labels and know what foods are high in carbohydrates. Examples of high carbohydrate foods' includes pasta, cereal, pastries, and breads.
There are many types of oral anti-diabetic medication. Oral anti-diabetic medications are aimed at correcting one of these three physiologic problems:
Decreased insulin production by the pancreases
Insulin resistance
Increased sugar release by the liver
Sometimes, a type II diabetic can't produce enough insulin to keep the blood glucose levels in a good range. When this happens, the diabetic might need to have insulin injections. There are two main types of insulin. Long-acting insulin, such as Lantus, Levemir, Tresiba or Basaglar, lasts up to 24 hours and helps keep the blood sugar low. Short-acting insulin, such as Novalog or Humalog, starts working within minutes. Short-acting insulins must be taken at meal times. Short-acting insulin has the biggest potential for causing hypoglycemia or too low blood sugar.
Diabetes is very hard on the body because the excess sugar in the blood, called hyperglycemia, has to be filtered by the kidneys. The high levels of sugar in the blood bath the blood vessels and cells in sticky corrosive fluid that creates damage to the blood vessels and nerves. Diabetes is the leading cause of eye damage, fatty liver, kidney failure, neuropathy and wounds on the feet. The best way to prevent these complications is to keep the blood sugar levels low. A blood test called a "A1C" can measure how high a persons blood sugar has been over the prior 3 months. The goal is to have the A1C less than 7.
Looking for more training on diabetes? Check out the American Diabetes Web page at www.diabets.org or see your supervisor. HSSA has a diabetes training class available both on-line and in-person! Talk to your supervisor about scheduling a diabetes training with HSSA!!
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