Medications

Insulin prescribed for type 1 diabetes by an injection or through an insulin pump helps keep your blood sugar level tightly controlled and within a target range. You may also take:

• An angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor, angiotensin II receptor blocker, or other medicine, if you have high blood pressure or small amounts of protein in your urine (microalbuminuria). These medicines can slow or prevent further damage to your kidneys if you have microalbuminuria, even if you don't have high blood pressure.
• Low-dose aspirin. Talk to your doctor about whether you should take low-dose aspirin. Daily low-dose aspirin (81 milligrams) may help prevent heart problems if you are at risk for heart attack or stroke.
• Sildenafil citrate (Viagra), tadalafil (Cialis), or vardenafil (Levitra), if you have erection problems and don't have medical reasons why you can't take them. These medicines can make heart problems worse in some people, so you should not take them if you are taking nitrate medicines, such as nitroglycerin. Check with your doctor before taking these medicines. Also, you can try a device for improving erections before you try medicine.
• Medicines for digestive problems. The type of medicine will depend on the problem you're having. For example, if you have gastroparesis, you may take metoclopramide (Reglan) or erythromycin.
• Nonprescription pain relievers, creams, or prescription oral or injection medicines if you have pain from peripheral neuropathy.
• Statins (such as lovastatin and simvastatin) to help decrease "bad" cholesterol (LDL).

Medication Choices

For your diabetes:

Insulin for Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes

For some complications:

• Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor or angiotensin II receptor blocker (ARB) for diabetic nephropathy or cardiovascular disease
• Aspirin after a heart attack or stroke or for prevention
• Medicines for erection problems (such as Cialis, Levitra, or Viagra). These medicines can make heart problems worse in some people, especially those who are taking nitrate medicines (such as nitroglycerin). Check with your doctor before taking these medicines.

What To Think About

Your LDL cholesterol goal is less than 100 mg/dL. Your LDL goal may be lower—less than 70 mg/dL—if you have heart disease. If you are a man, your HDL cholesterol goal is more than 40 mg/dL. If you are a woman, your HDL goal is more than 50 mg/dL. You want your triglyceride level to be lower than 150 mg/dL. For more information, see the topic High Cholesterol. To reach your goals, changes in diet and regular exercise can help. If these changes are not enough, you may need to take medicines too.

Keep your blood sugar levels within your target range. Your target range may be close to normal blood sugar levels. If you frequently have low blood sugar levels, call your doctor. You and your doctor may decide to make your target range higher than the normal range to avoid low blood sugar emergencies.