Category Archives: diabetes

How to save money on your prescription medications!

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If you are buying any prescription medications for your child, your teen, or yourself, then you know how pricey they can be. Sometimes they are covered by insurance; sometimes insurance only pays a fraction; and there are drugs that are not covered by insurance and families that don’t have prescription coverage at all.

No matter your situation, there are still ways you can save, even as prescription drug prices continue to rise.

Buy a generic drug alternative. Not all drugs have generic versions, but when they do the generic is usually quite a bit less expensive. Ask your physician or pharmacist if there is a generic available for a particular drug.

Talk to the doctor. In addition to knowing about generic alternatives, your pediatrician may know of a less expensive option for the drug your child is taking. There won’t always be another alternative, but it’s certainly worth asking about.

Look for cheaper prices. If you think the drug prices at your pharmacy are too high, call around. Sometimes there can be quite a difference from one pharmacy to another.

Look online for coupons or other resources. Some pharmaceutical companies have special programs for uninsured patients, or for patients who have difficulty paying even with insurance. In addition, you can often find coupons for particular drugs from a pharmaceutical company.

Drugs aren’t likely to get cheaper anytime soon, and yet they are often necessary. We want to help you find less expensive alternatives. Please ask us.

© MBS Writing Services, 2015, all rights reserved

Diabetes testing and prediabetes

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Our last two blogs have been about diabetes, types 1 and 2.  Now, let’s look at risk factors, testing, and what is called prediabetes.

Risk factors are slightly different for the two types of diabetes (see our previous two blogs to learn more about those types).  We’ve gleaned these sets of factors from an article by the Mayo Clinic.  Check out that article for more detailed explanation.

Type 1 risk factors

  • Family history
  • Environmental factors (such as exposure to certain illnesses)
  • The presence of damaging immune system cells (autoantibodies)
  • Dietary factors—though studies don’t show a direct cause and effect, there seems to be some relation to things like early consumption of cow’s milk and cereals, for example
  • Geography—people who live in some northern European countries have greater risks

Type 2 and prediabetes risk factors

  • Being overweight or obese
  • Inactivity
  • Family history
  • Race—it’s unclear why certain races (including blacks, Hispanics, American Indians and Asian-Americans) are at higher risk
  • Age—although type 2 diabetes is increasing at alarming rates among children and youth, risk increases with age
  • High blood pressure
  • Abnormal cholesterol and triglyceride levels

Other risk factors in the article pertain to adults.

Prediabetes is a condition that means your blood sugar levels are higher than normal but not yet in the “diabetic” range.  It also means that you are at an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

The American Diabetes Association has an online test you can take to determine possible risk.  If you believe your child is at risk, talk to your pediatrician.

Please note that the top two risk factors for type 2 diabetes are things over which you likely have a great deal of control.  A healthy diet and age-appropriate activity are your best tools for prevention, for your child and for you.

© MBS Writing Services, 2015, all rights reserved

Diabetes overview, type 2

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Last time we reviewed some general information about diabetes in children and adolescents, and focused in on type 1.  Today we look at type 2.

Type 2 diabetes has become much more prevalent in teens and children over the age of 10 in the last few decades.  This is believed to be directly related to the increasing number of young people who are overweight, obese, and/or inactive.

This diabetes type often comes from insulin resistance, meaning that the body does not effectively use the insulin produced by the pancreas.  (Insulin is the hormone that regulates glucose levels in the blood.)  If insulin resistance is detected early enough, type 2 diabetes may be prevented or forestalled with appropriate action.

According to this article on the National Institutes of Health website, from which we’ve drawn material for this blog, insulin resistance is tied to such things as inactivity and obesity, including belly fat in particular.  Losing excess weight and increasing activity to age-appropriate levels can help to prevent or delay the onset of type 2 diabetes.

Another NIH website article states, “A youth may feel very tired, thirsty, or nauseated and have to urinate often. Other symptoms may include weight loss, blurred vision, frequent infections, and slow healing of wounds or sores. Some youth may present with vaginal yeast infection or burning on urination due to yeast infection. Some may have extreme elevation of the blood glucose level associated with severe dehydration and coma.”  Others may have no symptoms at all.

If your child has diabetes, his pediatrician will have recommendations for an exercise regimen, diet, and medication.

If you think your child is at risk for diabetes, she should be tested by the pediatrician and you should be alert for symptoms.  Both types of diabetes are serious, with symptoms that can come on quickly, and possible problems that can last a lifetime.  While hoping for a cure, today we rely on good management techniques.  Call on us if you have questions or concerns.

© MBS Writing Services, 2015, all rights reserved

Diabetes overview, type 1

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Diabetes is a disease that can hit at any time of life from childhood to old age.  It can be a scary diagnosis, and it’s certainly not one a parent wants to hear.  Even so, new medical advances are constantly being made that can limit the bad effects of diabetes, and early diagnosis and treatment are always important.

Diabetes is not uncommon among children and teens.  According to the National Institutes of Health (and the National Diabetes Education Program—NDEP) article from which we have drawn much of the information for today’s blog, “About 208,000 young people in the US under age 20 had diabetes in 2012.”  Those numbers are growing.

The disease is classified into two categories, called type 1 and type 2.  Both types mean there is an elevated glucose (sugar) level in the blood, which is caused by problems with insulin production in the pancreas, and/or how that insulin acts on the body.

Type 1 diabetes, though only 5% of all diabetes cases, accounts for nearly all diagnoses in children under age 10.  It’s actually an autoimmune disease, in which the child’s own immune system destroys the beta cells of the pancreas that produce insulin.  (Insulin is the hormone that regulates the metabolism of carbohydrates, including sugars, and fats.)

Usually, symptoms of type 1 diabetes don’t appear until the disease has destroyed most of the beta cells.  According to the same article cited above, “Early symptoms, which are mainly due to hyperglycemia, include increased thirst and urination, constant hunger, weight loss, and blurred vision. Children also may feel very tired.”  If you are suspicious that your child has type 1 diabetes, seek medical attention immediately.

So far, there is no cure, but type 1 diabetes is managed through careful monitoring of blood sugar levels, and insulin administration by pump or injection.  The amount and timing of insulin doses is determined by taking into account food and beverage intake, physical activity, and the presence of any illness.  This management must be under the care of a physician who understands diabetes.

There are many ongoing studies into type 1 diabetes.  Perhaps in the not-too-distant future there will be a cure, or at least a way of pre-determining who is at risk and finding ways to treat the disease before it has destroyed the body’s ability to produce its own insulin.  The future is promising.

© MBS Writing Services, 2015, all rights reserved