Bull |

Managing Diabetes

When it comes to managing type 2 diabetes, it’s often best to start with the basics. Below you’ll find helpful information and simple tips on what you can do to feel better and stay positive from day to day. You’ll also find links to some helpful support groups and resources.

This section also helps you understand the 4 cornerstones of diabetes care: diabetes self-management, healthy eating, physical activity, and taking medicine. Read on to find out more about how these cornerstones affect your health.

Find additional Support and Resources

Diabetes management is about finding the right regimen for you, staying positive, and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Paula is committed to practicing what she preaches when it comes to managing her diabetes. She is making necessary changes, modifying her lifestyle, and taking her medication. I know that Diabetes in a New Light® will motivate others to live a healthy and well-balanced life.

Sheri Pentz, Registered Nurse,
Diabetes Educator, and Fellow Patient

Diabetes Self-Management

How Type 2 Diabetes Affects Your Body

When a person eats, the sugar — or glucose — from digested food enters the bloodstream. Glucose then moves from the blood into the body’s cells with the help of insulin. Insulin helps “open the door” to cells in the body to allow glucose to enter. As type 2 diabetes develops, the body’s cells resist insulin, and beta cells — cells in the pancreas that release insulin — need to release much more insulin than they normally would.

In people with type 2 diabetes, the beta cells gradually stop releasing enough insulin to help bring sugar into cells, causing higher levels of blood sugar. These beta cells gradually stop working the way they should. As the number of beta cells goes down, the pancreas releases less and less insulin. As a result, glucose does not make its way into the cells and ends up staying in the blood, causing high blood sugar, or hyperglycemia. Too much sugar in the blood can affect the body in ways that eventually cause other health problems, including blindness, foot problems, and kidney failure.

Weight and Type 2 Diabetes

People may develop type 2 diabetes for a combination of reasons. For some people, type 2 diabetes runs in their family. Others develop the disease due to obesity. The risk for the disease increases as people age or gain weight.

Maintaining a healthy weight is an important goal for anyone with type 2 diabetes. Therefore, healthy eating habits and some form of safe physical activity should be a part of your type 2 diabetes management program. If you are overweight, weight loss will improve your body’s ability to use insulin. To determine a weight-loss goal that’s right for you, start by discussing healthier eating habits as well as safe and sensible activities with your diabetes care team.

Managing Stress

Stress can impact your type 2 diabetes. The amount of stress you face each day can affect your blood sugar levels and insulin levels. Learning to manage your stress may help you keep your blood sugar under control. The first step in managing stress is learning how to recognize it.

Coping with Stress and Type 2 Diabetes

Living with type 2 diabetes may sometimes cause you to feel discouraged. Some emotional highs and lows are normal, but it’s necessary to recognize when emotional changes signal unusual stress so that you can begin to find ways to cope with it.

To cope with stress, try to find healthy behaviors that help you to feel more in balance. Here are some general guidelines for managing the stress in your life:

  • Stay active. It can improve your blood sugar levels as well as your mood
  • Meditate. Short periods of quiet reflection can improve your ability to cope with stress
  • Be positive. Avoid negative thoughts by concentrating on things that you enjoy
  • Spend time doing something you enjoy. Listen to music, take a bath, or work on a favorite hobby
  • Laugh. Laughter may help lower blood pressure and reduce stress hormones
  • Consider yoga. This form of full-body stretching can help you feel calm
  • Get plenty of sleep. Sleep loss may lead to weight gain and may interfere with your body’s ability to use insulin
  • Make sure you have a good support network

Find out more about coping with diabetes

Healthy Eating

An Important Part of Managing Your Type 2 Diabetes

Eating healthy means eating smart. You never have to miss out on all the flavor! If you have type 2 diabetes, you may not always have to follow a special menu, but you should try to make smart decisions about what you eat. Moderation is key. Making these adjustments may help you reach your diabetes goals.

Follow the nutritional recommendations of your diabetes care team when developing healthy eating behaviors. In addition, here are some general guidelines that are recommended by nutrition experts:

  • Eat a variety of healthy foods, including fruits and vegetables and whole grains
  • Choose lean meats (such as poultry and fish) and beans for protein
  • Balance the number of calories you eat with your activity level
  • Limit your intake of saturated fats, cholesterol, salt, and added sugar

 


Physical Activity

Staying Active

To get the most out of managing your type 2 diabetes, it’s important to incorporate some physical activity into your routine. Regular exercise can help prevent certain health problems, help you maintain a healthy body weight, and help insulin work more effectively to lower your blood sugar. Find out more about the importance of being active.

Find Activities That Are Right for You

Choose activities that work for you so that you’ll stick with them. Find an activity that you like, and try to have fun while being active. Mix up your routine with different activities and by joining others in group or community classes.

Talk to your diabetes care team about ways that you can be more active every day, and always talk to your doctor before starting any kind of fitness routine.

Ways to stay active*:

  • Use the stairs instead of the elevator
  • Park your car a greater distance from your destination
  • Spend time exercising with friends
  • Take several short walks during the day
  • Lift small weights while talking on the phone
  • Wash your car and tend to your garden
  • Swim or take an aerobics class

*Always talk to your healthcare professional before trying any new activity. Be sure to also discuss any physical limitations or type 2 diabetes—related problems such as eyesight impairment or foot problems, which may impact your ability to perform certain activities.




Taking Medicine

GLP-1 Helps Control Blood Sugar

When you eat, natural, or native, GLP-1 helps the beta cells in your pancreas release the right amount of insulin to move sugar from the blood into the cells. It also helps slow down the time it takes for food to leave your stomach, which can help your body manage your blood sugar level. GLP-1 also blocks the liver from releasing too much sugar... by lowering the amount of another hormone, called glucagon. There are treatment options for type 2 diabetes that work like native GLP-1 to help control blood sugar.

Find out more about a GLP-1 treatment option from Novo Nordisk.

Support and Resources

Cornerstones4Care™

This site, sponsored by Novo Nordisk, serves as a multifaceted resource for people with type 2 diabetes. Visitors can develop a personalized diabetes management plan, connect with others, find healthy recipes, and utilize various tools designed to help them stay on track with their type 2 diabetes treatment.

American Diabetes Association

The American Diabetes Association hosts local events that feature health screenings, cooking demonstrations, product service exhibitors, and seminars with leading medical experts.

Taking Control of Your Diabetes

This educational resource group hosts conferences that help people with diabetes take a more active role in their healthcare. Local events feature programs by diabetes educators and physicians, information on treatment, new treatment technologies, and workshops, and offer opportunities to speak one on one with diabetes care experts.

Diabetes Sisters

This group is dedicated to improving the health and quality of life of women with diabetes through education, support, advocacy, and local and national events. Its annual conference features national experts on gender-specific diabetes topics and opportunities for women to increase their support network, while its annual walk celebrates the “willpower” of women with diabetes.

Victoza.com

See how Victoza® compares with other diabetes medicines in important measures of blood sugar control, like A1C. Watch videos of people just like you who have made Victoza® a part of their everyday routine. And build your own doctor discussion guide that can help you talk to your healthcare professional about whether Victoza® is right for you.

Indications and Usage

Victoza® (liraglutide [rDNA origin] injection) is an injectable prescription medicine that may improve blood sugar (glucose) in adults with type 2 diabetes when used along with diet and exercise.

Victoza® is not recommended as the first medication to treat diabetes. Victoza® is not a substitute for insulin and has not been studied in combination with prandial (meal-time) insulin. Victoza® is not for people with type 1 diabetes or people with diabetic ketoacidosis. It is not known if Victoza® is safe and effective in children. Victoza® is not recommended for use in children.

Important Safety Information

In animal studies, Victoza® caused thyroid tumors—including thyroid cancer—in some rats and mice. It is not known whether Victoza® causes thyroid tumors or a type of thyroid cancer called medullary thyroid cancer (MTC) in people, which may be fatal if not detected and treated early. Do not use Victoza® if you or any of your family members have a history of MTC or if you have Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia syndrome type 2 (MEN 2). While taking Victoza®, tell your doctor if you get a lump or swelling in your neck, hoarseness, trouble swallowing, or shortness of breath. These may be symptoms of thyroid cancer.

Do not use Victoza® if you are allergic to liraglutide or any of the ingredients in Victoza®. Serious allergic reactions can happen with Victoza®. If symptoms of serious allergic reactions occur, stop taking Victoza® and seek medical attention. Inflammation of the pancreas (pancreatitis) may be severe and lead to death. Before taking Victoza®, tell your doctor if you have had pancreatitis, gallstones, a history of alcoholism, or high blood triglyceride levels since these medical conditions make you more likely to get pancreatitis.

Stop taking Victoza® and call your doctor right away if you have pain in your stomach area that is severe and will not go away, occurs with or without vomiting, or is felt going from your stomach area through to your back. These may be symptoms of pancreatitis.

Before using Victoza®, tell your doctor about all the medicines you take, especially sulfonylurea medicines or insulin, as taking them with Victoza® may affect how each medicine works. If you use Victoza® with insulin, you may give both injections in the same body area (for example, your stomach area), but not right next to each other.

Also tell your doctor if you have severe stomach problems such as slowed emptying of your stomach (gastroparesis) or problems with digesting food; have or have had kidney or liver problems; have any other medical conditions; or are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. Tell your doctor if you are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. It is unknown if Victoza® will harm your unborn baby or if Victoza® passes into your breast milk.

Your risk for getting hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar, is higher if you take Victoza® with another medicine that can cause low blood sugar, such as a sulfonylurea or insulin. The dose of your sulfonylurea medicine or insulin may need to be lowered while taking Victoza®.

Victoza® may cause nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea leading to dehydration, which may cause kidney failure. This can happen in people who have never had kidney problems before. Drinking plenty of fluids may reduce your chance of dehydration.

The most common side effects with Victoza® include headache, nausea, and diarrhea. Nausea is most common when first starting Victoza®, but decreases over time in most people. Immune system related reactions, including hives, were more common in people treated with Victoza® compared to people treated with other diabetes drugs in medical studies.

Please click here for Prescribing Information and Medication Guide.

Novo Nordisk provides patient assistance for those who qualify.
Please call 1-866-310-7549 to learn more about Novo Nordisk assistance programs.

You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch,
or call 1-800-FDA-1088.


Victoza
CLOSE

Victoza® is a non-insulin, once-a-day, injectable medication that helps lower blood sugar in adults with type 2 diabetes.

Learn more