Dr. Wy, why hasn’t my doctor prescribed me medication for my prediabetes?

Ask Dr. Wy…

Richard Wyderski, MD, FACP

Dr. Wy, why hasn’t my doctor prescribed me medication for my prediabetes?

It’s true that many people with DIABETES need to be on medications to keep their blood sugars controlled to prevent organ damage. Diabetes is defined by repeatedly having a fasting blood sugar over 125 mg/dL, a 2 hour post-meal blood sugar over 200 mg/dL, or an “a1c” of 6.5% or higher. The higher the a1c, the more quickly organ damage occurs.

PREdiabetes isn’t diabetes, but may people with it later develop diabetes. 1 in 3 people in the US currently have it. The number definitions are lower: an “a1c” of 5.7-6.49%, a fasting blood sugar over 100 mg/dL , or a 2-hour post-meal blood sugar over 140 mg/dL. It doesn’t lead to organ damage, but because it causes no symptoms those that DO develop diabetes can develop a lot of organ damage before they know it. When we find prediabetes, we do everything we can to prevent it from becoming diabetes.

It often does take a change in our daily habits to prevent it from getting worse and usually does need medication. Exercising moderately at least 5 times a week for 30 minutes, losing 5-7% of our body weight, and eating a healthy low-carb Mediterranean diet all help!

People with certain risk factors should be checked for prediabetes regularly: age over 45 years, being overweight or obese, having a family history of diabetes, or eating an unhealthy diet or not exercising much. If we develop it, we need to get our blood sugar checked more frequently.

Please get checked if you’re at risk. You’ll be glad you did!

 

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