Living with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) can be tough, requiring consistency, discipline, and a clear plan for achieving the treatment goals that doctors advise patients to pursue. And while standard medication can help get your blood sugar down, this only works if accompanied with lifestyle shifts such as healthy nutrition and physical activity.
“It was never an easy disease to begin with, early intervention comes alongside a deeper understanding of the need for comprehensive solutions for T2DM patients, comprising lifestyle adjustments as well as pharmacological treatment,” says Dr. Bobby Mirasol, Former President of Philippine Society of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism (PSEDM) & ASEAN Federation of Endocrine Societies (AFES).
Recent developments in the treatment of diabetes do however point toward a revolutionary new drug that reduces blood sugar while supporting weight loss and blood pressure reduction. It sounds simple enough on paper, but for the people who have to live through the struggle, the burden just got a whole lot lighter.
Dapagliflozin is a novel treatment for type 2 diabetes that prevents the kidneys from absorbing sugar and releases excess glucose through the urine instead. Because of this mechanism, doctors may prescribe it on its own, or as a complementary drug that acts independently of insulin therapy.
In clinical trials, dapagliflozin performed at par with or slightly better than leading diabetes medications. According to the International Journal of Clinical Practice, the results strongly indicate a significant reduction of blood sugar throughout the spectrum of type 2 diabetes.
Dr. Rima Tan, President of Diabetes Philippines, believes that the drug’s far-reaching therapeutic value can give patients a fair shot at a better life. “Dapagliflozin has been lauded for a reducing blood sugar levels of patients with additional health benefits,” she says. “Patients routinely show weight loss and lower overall blood pressure, which is a great for patients struggling with the lifestyle adjustments necessary for managing type 2 diabetes.”
Patients are expected to maintain these benefits over time, and this allows patients to gradually ease into appropriate lifestyle changes. This generally promises a smoother therapeutic experience that’s both effective and ultimately empowering.
Available in the Philippines since 2014, dapagliflozin has been used to effectively treat more than 20,000 Filipinos with type 2 diabetes.
Let’s Fight Diabetes! To all the Filipinos with type 2 diabetes, dapagliflozin is now here to treat and make life with diabetes easier.
Have you tried dapagliflozin? What do you think? Share your stories in the comments!
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