What Happens If You Stop Taking Diabetes Medication

It is a reference to gravity when someone says, ‘what goes up, must come down.’ But if we’re going to swing that around and talk about blood sugar then it’s an opposite equation of sorts. Those levels may have gone down, but they will rise back up, and that is what happens if you stop taking diabetes medication. If you have done well with eating better and you have moved to a healthier body weight through diet and exercise, they may not go as high as they once did, but you’re still probably going to have high blood sugar again.

Some people are going to be more at risk for the deteriorating health conditions that can come with unchecked diabetes, and most of the time their doctor will have made them aware of that. It is for these people that stopping diabetes medication is going to be very inadvisable, and if you are on a medication that is keeping you in good health why would you choose to stop taking it anyways? You know what happens if you stop taking diabetes medication.

If it is because of unexpected side effects then you should meet with your doctor to discuss an alternative rather than just stopping at once. And those same doctors will tell you that will apply to most Rx medications – if you have decided you need to stop taking the medication then at the very least you should wean yourself off of it. And if that is a verb you are unfamiliar with, it means reducing the intake of something incrementally before getting to the point where you can stop intake entirely.

Menu Changes

There are plenty of different blood glucose control medications used for managing diabetes. You may feel that you need to stop taking yours and not be willing to take it any longer, but you need to fight the urge to make impetuous decisions. It is best to understand that your blood sugar is likely going to be spiking again within a day or two after you have meals. The only exception to that is going to be if you have cleaned up your diet and ideally, you are not eating high glycemic index foods.

They can also contribute to what happens if you stop taking diabetes medication, and it is fair to say that everyone would do well to cut back on eating high glycemic index foods for their overall health. This is not something that will only apply to diabetics, although it is more of an urgent matter for them if their diet choices are contributing to high blood sugar levels. And if going off their medication instantly means they then go from high to extremely high it highlights even more how it is never a good idea to completely stop taking diabetes medication at once.

What happens if you stop taking diabetes medication suddenly will vary based on the person, but even in a best-case scenario you are going to be putting stresses on your body that would not be as pronounced if you went off the medication gradually. But as always, this is an instance where you should defer to your doctor’s expertise.