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Type 2 diabetes and sulfonylurea drugs

In order to fully understand what sulfonylurea anti-diabetic drugs can do to help manage type 2 diabetes, we first need to cover the basic facts about the condition itself.

Type 2 diabetes occurs when the body is unable to properly metabolize the fats and the carbohydrates that are ingested in food. The hormone that is responsible for this metabolization is insulin. In people suffering from type 2 diabetes, two main problems are present. Firstly, there is insulin resistance, which means that insulin does not have the effects it should have on the glucose which is supposed to be taken up from the blood. Subsequently, the levels of glucose in the blood become too high and they lead to type 2 diabetes. Additionally, a certain insufficiency of insulin is also present, contributing even more to the onset of type 2 diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes is caused by a number of reasons, including lifestyle, genetic predisposition and medical conditions. The lifestyle that is perfect for development of type 2 diabetes is the lifestyle most of us lead in the modern age. This lifestyle includes lack of regular exercise, unhealthy diet which is especially rich in saturated fats, drinking alcohol and smoking. Obesity is a major contributor to developing diabetes, maybe even the most important; as it has been observed that overweight people are at an increased risk of type 2 diabetes. Therefore, the easiest way to prevent type 2 diabetes would be to eat healthy, exercise regularly, stop smoking and limit the intake of alcohol.
Other causes of type 2 diabetes cannot be controlled that easily, especially the genetic predisposition. Some people have simply been dealt such cards that they are more likely to develop diabetes. Medical conditions that are responsible for type 2 diabetes include elevated levels of cholesterol in the blood, hypertension, adrenal gland tumor and many more. Some of these can also be prevented by lifestyle choices, while some cannot.
It is therefore important to have different medications for treating type 2 diabetes and sulfonylurea drugs are among the most common ones. These drugs block the potassium channels in the liver beta cells, which in turn causes more insulin to be released from each of the beta cells. Glucotrol is one of these sulfonylurea drugs and it is a second-generation sulfonylurea drug, meaning that it is more efficient and has less side effects than the first generation ones.
Unfortunately, there are some people who cannot use Glucotrol, such as people who are allergic to Glucotrol or who are in a state of diabetic ketoacidosis where insulin is the only possible treatment. Other people need to take special precaution when taking Glucotrol, such as people suffering from kidney or liver diseases, chronic diarrhea, blockage of intestines, disorder of adrenal or pituitary glands, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency, people with history of different heart diseases or malnourished people.