Did you know that about 100 million people in the United States either suffer from high glucose levels or are at risk of getting them in the future? Indeed, more and more people around the world have to live with diabetes mellitus these days. Luckily, there is a great variety of insulin-based products or their analogs in the contemporary health care system, which makes the lives of these people easier.
But do all diabetics have to buy insulin? Let’s figure it out by reading the article below. We provided you with all required on this topic, so you won’t have to search for it on different sources.
Americans who suffer from diabetes mellitus prefer to order the necessary medications from Canadian resellers. Check out the main reason why Americans buy insulin from Canada and whether it is legal by Canadian law.
What Is Diabetes and What Is the Role of Insulin in It?
Diabetes (or, as it is also called, diabetes mellitus) is a health condition that is characterized by high blood sugar levels and, as a result, difficulties in transforming gained from food glucose into energy.
When being more precise, here is how the glucose transformation into energy works:
- The food you eat contains sugar (or, as it is also referred to, glucose) which is released into your bloodstream during your meal intake.
- As soon as your blood sugar level increases, your pancreas receives a signal from your brain to start releasing insulin.
- While the released insulin, in its turn, assists you in transporting blood sugar to the cells in your body.
- Finally, the transported sugar is transformed into energy.
However, this process will be disturbed in case you live with diabetes mellitus. Namely, you will experience one of the following health conditions:
- Your body does not produce enough insulin. As a result, there is not enough insulin to transport your blood sugar to the body cells and it remains in your bloodstream;
- Your body produces enough insulin but does not use it properly. Namely, it stops responding to insulin and, therefore, does not make use of it.
So, either the low level of insulin or its inappropriate functioning are the main causes of diabetes mellitus.
What Are the Main Types of Diabetes and How Are They Related to Insulin?
There exist three main types of diabetes mellitus. Namely, you might come across type 1, type 2, and gestational diabetes. So, let’s check out what is the difference between them.
Type 1 diabetes is characterized by the low production of insulin in your body. It is oftentimes caused by an autoimmune disease when your body attacks itself by mistake. The symptoms of type 1 diabetes develop rapidly so that you might be diagnosed with it even at a very young age.
Type 2 diabetes, in its turn, is marked by the improper usage of insulin by your body. Particularly, your body does not use insulin to transport blood sugar to its cells in an efficient way. It is the most widely spread diabetes type, as around 90 percent of diabetics suffer from type 2 diabetes.
Gestational diabetes is common for pregnant women. Typically, it appears during pregnancy without any obvious precondition and disappears right after a woman gives birth to her child. The main risk of gestational diabetes is that a baby that is born is at risk of developing type 2 diabetes at a later stage of its life.
Interesting fact: There is one more health condition that is sometimes regarded as one more type of diabetes which is called prediabetes. It is defined by higher than normal levels of blood sugar on the one hand but not high enough to be regarded as diabetes on the other hand.
Are Diabetics Dependent on Insulin?
Not each and every diabetic is reliant on the intake of insulin. When being more precise, everything depends on the type of diabetes a person has:
- If you have type 1 diabetes, insulin practically becomes a lifesaving drug for you. Under such circumstances, you have to intake insulin-based medications or their analogs on a regular basis and avoid rationing insulin;
- In case of having type 2 diabetes, gestational diabetes, or prediabetes, you do not necessarily need to intake insulin. Regular blood sugar level tests, a balanced diet, and an active lifestyle might be enough to feel yourself normally.
Therefore, only diabetics that have type 1 diabetes are absolutely dependent on the intake of insulin.
Interesting fact: Up until the discovery of insulin that took place in 1921, people who suffered from type 1 diabetes had an extremely low life expectancy. Technically speaking, there was no available cure for this health condition and diabetics had to live for not more than 500 calories a day to prolong their lives.
How to Treat Diabetes?
So, in case you have type 1 diabetes, you can efficiently treat it by a regular insulin intake. Luckily, drug companies such as American and Canadian pharmacies, provide a great variety of insulin-based pharmaceuticals and their analogs (most of them being approved by the Food and Drug Administration) in a number of variations like:
- A single vial and a syringe with insulin;
- Prefilled insulin pen;
- Insulin pump;
- And so on.
Therefore, you can either buy insulin from a local pharmacy or order it via the internet.
Interesting fact: Oftentimes, Canadian insulin is more affordable and costs less than the American one (mainly because of prescription medication price caps and similar regulations for drugs from Canada). Therefore, many Americans avoid a local pharmacy with its high prices and import drugs from Canadian pharmaceutical companies while looking for more affordable insulin for their personal use.
A Bottom Line
All in all, diabetics who suffer from type 1 diabetes are dependent on the insulin medication that is needed for their treatment. As a result, they have to buy it on a regular basis. So, find a reliable medicine supply, take proper care of your blood sugar levels, and stay healthy at all times!