Managing type 2 diabetes can be tricky. Many people use a drug called metformin to help keep their blood sugar levels in check. But often, metformin isn’t enough on its own.
That’s where second-line medications come in, offering additional support to those needing more than what metformin can provide.
However, a new study by Northwestern Medicine reveals a significant hurdle: sticking to these second-line treatments proves difficult for many.
The research, published in The American Journal of Managed Care, looked at data from over 82,000 patients from 2014 to 2017.
It found that within a year of starting on a second-line medication, nearly two-thirds of these patients either stopped taking their medication, switched to another, or needed an increased dosage.
This lack of consistency not only leads to wasted resources but also risks the effective management of type 2 diabetes.
Out of the five classes of non-insulin diabetes medicines the study reviewed, four saw high drop-off rates, with 38% of patients stopping their medication.
The glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs), a class of drug, had the highest discontinuation rate at 50%.
David Liss, the study’s lead and a research associate professor at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, pointed out the gravity of the situation, emphasizing that it’s problematic when half of the patients abandon their prescribed treatment within a year.
The study didn’t delve into why so many patients stop their medication, but it speculated that the high discontinuation rate of GLP-1 RAs could be linked to their gastrointestinal side effects, like nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, which are common to diabetes and weight loss medications.
An interesting find was that patients prescribed medication by an endocrinologist, rather than a family or internal medicine doctor, had a lower risk of stopping their medication and a higher chance of increasing their dosage.
This suggests that endocrinologists’ specialized knowledge in diabetes drugs might influence patient adherence positively.
This study sheds light on the need for better prescribing strategies and a deeper understanding of why patients might not stick to their medication plans.
While stopping a second-line diabetes medication might not lead to immediate severe symptoms, it increases the risk of future diabetes-related hospitalizations.
Improving communication between patients and doctors is key to ensuring that those with type 2 diabetes stick to their medication regimens, ultimately leading to better health outcomes.
With more effective treatment strategies and patient support, managing diabetes can become a more straightforward and successful endeavor.
If you care about diabetes, please read studies about a cure for type 2 diabetes, and these vegetables could protect against kidney damage in diabetes.
For more information about diabetes, please see recent studies about bone drug that could lower risk of type 2 diabetes, and results showing eating more eggs linked to higher risk of type 2 diabetes.
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