“Can type 1 diabetes patients take pills instead of insulin injections?”
My son has type 1 diabetes and I just don't like watching him have to inject himself with insulin to manage it. I know he has to, but I also want to know if there's any alternatives he can do. Are there any pills that he can take instead of insulin injections?
6 Answers
Sreedevi Reddy
Endocrinology, Diabetes
If your son has Type 1 DM, it indicates that his body is not making insulin on its own. Insulin is available as injectible, or can be given through insulin pump or inhaled formulation (meal time only) not oral form at this time.
Type 1 diabetes is caused by an absolute deficiency of insulin. Insulin is absolutely needed for life. Insulin is a protein hormone that would be digested by the digestive process. The dosing of insulin needs to be very precise; therefore a very reliable absorption into the body is necessary.
Your question has been asked by millions of parents since 1922 when insulin was discovered and the answer is: as of May2021 there is no substitute for insulin injection. There are however insulin pumps which can deliver the insulin and the infusion site needs to be changed every 3 days and does not require multiple daily injections.
Your question has been asked by millions of parents since 1922 when insulin was discovered and the answer is: as of May2021 there is no substitute for insulin injection. There are however insulin pumps which can deliver the insulin and the infusion site needs to be changed every 3 days and does not require multiple daily injections.
The answer is NO. Type 1 Diabetic patients are deficient of insulin, and must be treated with insulin.
Unfortunately, children with Type 1 Diabetes don’t produce insulin and need injections of insulin. There are small insulin pumps which decrease the amount of injections, but it’s more complicated. Tablets just stimulated production of your own insulin in Type 2 diabetes. Your son sounds like a mature, responsible person, this gives him control of diabetes and he is having a normal life.
Good luck.
Good luck.
No, unfortunately, the only way to administer insulin is with injections. The insulin is a protein that if you ingested it will be destroyed by the acid in your stomach.
Type 1 diabetes is the commonest metabolic disorder in children. It affects over 200,000 children in United states of America. About 20,00 children are diagnosed type 1 diabetes annually in America. The incidence of type 1 diabetes is also increasing by about 3% annually in the western hemispher. Type 1 diabetes results from an autoimmune destruction of islet cells called Beta cells, that make insulin. There are about 1.5 million beta cells in the pancreas. Once about 85% of beta cells are destroyed, insulin deficiency prevail and blood sugars become uncontrolled. When left untreated or poorly treated it can lead to acute and chronic complications. These complications can lead to early death or shorter life expectancy.
Type 1 diabetics are insulin deficient and can not support the bodies insulin demand to control the blood sugars. Currently insulin is the only treatment for type 1 diabetes. Insulin is mostly given subcutaneously (under the skin) though it can be given by inhalation, and intravenously via IV infusion in the hospital setting for acute complications.
Insulin is a peptide (protein) hormone. It is potent mediator of glucose from the blood in to the tissues to be used for energy. The brain depends on glucose almost all the time as it source of energy. Without sufficient insulin glucose will not be transported out of the blood to the tissues for good use.
Since insulin is a protein hormone it can not be given by mouth. If it is given through the oral route (mouth) it will not survive the stomach acidity. It will be destroyed by the stomach acid call hydrochloric acid. It will also be destroyed by the digestive juices of the pancreas in the duodenum, if it survives the stomach acidity. Any protein hormone given by oral route will be denatured by the powerful stomach acid or will be destroyed by the pancreatic or intestinal enzymes or digestive juices. Whether it is insulin or growth hormone, any protein hormone, will not survive oral route. So far protein hormone are mainly given by subcutaneous, intravenous or inhalation routes.
Up to this time no commercial institution have succeeded in creating a viable oral insulin to be marketed for type 1 diabetic patients. However there are few of them on trial and under FDA review.
For insulin or a protein hormone to be delivered oraly three things have to happen:
1) It has to survive the powerful stomach acid without being denatured.
2) It has to survive the powerful digestive juice in the intestines
3) It has to be able to cross the intestinal mucosa to be absorbed to the blood stream.
A successful company would be able to design an insulin vehicle to carry it through the stomach acidity, protect it from intestinal juices and aid the insulin to cross the intestinal membrane to the blood steam without diminishing the biological activity of insulin.
The School of Engineering and Applied Sciences in Cambridge, MA, is claiming that they have created a vehicle of insulin that is able to do this.
The Oramed Pharmaceuticals is also conduction more studies on these aspects of insulin delivery system and are under review by FDA.
If oral insulin delivery system materializes in very near future, type 1 diabetic will enjoy a better glycemic control as orally derived insulin will be similar to insulin produced by the pancreas as long as the long term safety of the oral insulin vehicle is not in question.
This will be good news to many diabetic patients on insulin injections who have needle phobia (about 10% of them) and though who are tired of giving injections multiple times a day and though who are none complaint. It is also true t5hat multiple daily injections, create inconvenience, disrupt the quality of life and achieving normal blood glucose all the time is difficult. Use of oral insulin which will mimic physiologic insulin in normal patients will be much better.
There is also a great optimism in curing diabetes with technologies that promote islet cell regeneration or stem cell technology or genetic engineering. As science and technology advances, cure for type 1 diabetes will not be remote. It will be one of the greatest break through in medical history, the way the discovery of insulin was a glorious moment in medical discovery. These events will happen shortly it is the matter of time.
Until oral insulin or cure of diabetes materializes in the near future, we will continue with delivering insulin under the skin (subcutaneously) either by multiple daily injections or using insulin infusion pumps or inhalation insulin with a long acting insulin in some cases. All these insulin delivery systems have their advantages and disadvantages, but in skilled hands they all should work in a similar way.
Please discuss these issues with your child's doctor. He/she will be able help more.
Good Luck.
Type 1 diabetics are insulin deficient and can not support the bodies insulin demand to control the blood sugars. Currently insulin is the only treatment for type 1 diabetes. Insulin is mostly given subcutaneously (under the skin) though it can be given by inhalation, and intravenously via IV infusion in the hospital setting for acute complications.
Insulin is a peptide (protein) hormone. It is potent mediator of glucose from the blood in to the tissues to be used for energy. The brain depends on glucose almost all the time as it source of energy. Without sufficient insulin glucose will not be transported out of the blood to the tissues for good use.
Since insulin is a protein hormone it can not be given by mouth. If it is given through the oral route (mouth) it will not survive the stomach acidity. It will be destroyed by the stomach acid call hydrochloric acid. It will also be destroyed by the digestive juices of the pancreas in the duodenum, if it survives the stomach acidity. Any protein hormone given by oral route will be denatured by the powerful stomach acid or will be destroyed by the pancreatic or intestinal enzymes or digestive juices. Whether it is insulin or growth hormone, any protein hormone, will not survive oral route. So far protein hormone are mainly given by subcutaneous, intravenous or inhalation routes.
Up to this time no commercial institution have succeeded in creating a viable oral insulin to be marketed for type 1 diabetic patients. However there are few of them on trial and under FDA review.
For insulin or a protein hormone to be delivered oraly three things have to happen:
1) It has to survive the powerful stomach acid without being denatured.
2) It has to survive the powerful digestive juice in the intestines
3) It has to be able to cross the intestinal mucosa to be absorbed to the blood stream.
A successful company would be able to design an insulin vehicle to carry it through the stomach acidity, protect it from intestinal juices and aid the insulin to cross the intestinal membrane to the blood steam without diminishing the biological activity of insulin.
The School of Engineering and Applied Sciences in Cambridge, MA, is claiming that they have created a vehicle of insulin that is able to do this.
The Oramed Pharmaceuticals is also conduction more studies on these aspects of insulin delivery system and are under review by FDA.
If oral insulin delivery system materializes in very near future, type 1 diabetic will enjoy a better glycemic control as orally derived insulin will be similar to insulin produced by the pancreas as long as the long term safety of the oral insulin vehicle is not in question.
This will be good news to many diabetic patients on insulin injections who have needle phobia (about 10% of them) and though who are tired of giving injections multiple times a day and though who are none complaint. It is also true t5hat multiple daily injections, create inconvenience, disrupt the quality of life and achieving normal blood glucose all the time is difficult. Use of oral insulin which will mimic physiologic insulin in normal patients will be much better.
There is also a great optimism in curing diabetes with technologies that promote islet cell regeneration or stem cell technology or genetic engineering. As science and technology advances, cure for type 1 diabetes will not be remote. It will be one of the greatest break through in medical history, the way the discovery of insulin was a glorious moment in medical discovery. These events will happen shortly it is the matter of time.
Until oral insulin or cure of diabetes materializes in the near future, we will continue with delivering insulin under the skin (subcutaneously) either by multiple daily injections or using insulin infusion pumps or inhalation insulin with a long acting insulin in some cases. All these insulin delivery systems have their advantages and disadvantages, but in skilled hands they all should work in a similar way.
Please discuss these issues with your child's doctor. He/she will be able help more.
Good Luck.
