Types Of Drugs Used In The Research & Treatment of Type 1 Diabetes

Some of the most popular methods to help with the prevention of type 1 diabetes utilizes drugs that attempt to block the autoimmune disease from demolishing the beta cells of your pancreas.  Below is a list of drugs used to aid in this prevention:

1. The Use Of Insulin: There have been promising studies where patients who have islet cell antibodies were given tiny amounts of insulin. This was done in an effort to prolong the time between the anti-bodies and the symptoms.

2. The Use Of Nicotinamide:  There has been animal studies done which show that Nicotinamide works to protect the beta cells of small animals, such as mice, that are prone to diabetes. Nicotinamide is a B Vitamin.

3. The Use Of Steroids: Although this approach is not guaranteed to be 100% successful, steroids have been used on test patients and have been proven in some cases to block autoimmune conditions. One such steroid is called prednisone.

Steroids are given to a patient with type 1 diabetes if a doctor finds islet cell antibodies. These steroids seem to reduce the number of islet cell antibodies as well as prolong the time between the development of these antibodies and the beginning of symptoms.

It is important to know that using steroid drugs on patients that have type 1 diabetes is not always the safest choice. Steroids produce side effects, especially if the patient is a small child. When children take steroids they can suffer from numerous side effects such as infections and growth problems.

4. The Use Of Cytotoxic Drugs: Steroids are not the only drugs that have been shown to prolong the time between the development of anti-bodies and symptoms. There exists drugs which are called cytotoxic drugs. These drugs are currently being tested and take action against cells that cause the destruction of pancreatic beta cells.

Cytotoxic drugs are still not reported to be 100% accurate, just like steroids. And side effects have been seen in the use and testing of these drugs, and many patients did experience severe problems from those side effects.