How Do You Treat Type 1 Diabetes?
Managing type 1 diabetes means you'll have to take insulin each day. You may also work with a doctor to treat T1D with other medications in addition to insulin, and determine what else may be best for your diabetes care goals.
Treating type 1 diabetes (T1D) is not as simple as just taking a particular medication or using a therapy, but it's more of a management puzzle that has many different parts.
People with T1D must take insulin because their bodies do not naturally produce it. This is a required and first-line treatment for anyone with this autoimmune condition.
Beyond that, people with T1D may also take other medications and use different methods to help manage their blood sugar levels. This is where your healthcare team plays a key role in helping to create a diabetes management plan and how to best treat your T1D based on many factors.
Managing type 1 diabetes
While the 'treatment' for a chronic condition is often viewed through the lens of medications or other therapies, T1D is one of those that requires constant management and affects how certain medications work.
That is why treating T1D goes beyond just insulin and medication use. Diabetes management involves monitoring blood sugar levels, keeping track of what you consume each day, maintaining enough physical activity, managing your mental health, and more.
Using insulin
People with T1D must take insulin each day.
Their bodies don't naturally make insulin, so it must be administered in another way.
Many different types of insulin exist, ranging from fast short-acting insulin taken each time you eat or consume carbohydrates to longer-acting insulin that lasts in your body for hours at a time.
Whatever type of insulin you take, you administer it through injections with a syringe or prefilled insulin pen. Others may choose to use an insulin pump device to administer their insulin each day.
Insulin pens
Many different types of insulin pens exist for long-acting and mealtime insulin forms. You may find these differ slightly based on the insulin you're using.
Many of the most common insulin pens are disposable. They contain a prefilled cartridge that can be used for a certain number of days, and when the cartridge is empty, the entire pen is thrown away.
Some reusable pens are also available, allowing you to replace the insulin cartridge when it's empty.
The needles on insulin pens are known as pen needles, and they come in different lengths and thicknesses based on your preferences.
Insulin pumps
Insulin pumps are wearable devices that people with diabetes use to deliver insulin. They are connected to a spot on your body and continuously give insulin for 2 to 4 days.
These devices deliver a programmed amount of insulin through a small tube called a cannula, inserted just under the top layer of your skin. Your doctor will work with you to determine how much insulin you need each day.
Insulin pumps can also deliver an insulin bolus, which is an extra dose of insulin in addition to your basal rate.
Some pumps may automatically give you boluses based on your higher blood sugar or carbs, but most allow you to enter a manual bolus for the pump to deliver when needed.
Historically, insulin pumps were completely manual devices that you had to program for any insulin. In more recent years, advanced technology now available allows for algorithms to calculate and automatically deliver if you use the device with a connected CGM.
Off-label medications for type 1 diabetes
Other diabetes medications may also be something to discuss with your doctor. These may include Metformin, GLP-1s, or SGLT-2s meds, which aren't cleared by regulators to use with T1D but may be beneficial beyond that labeling.
While some research does show the benefit of these medications for T1D, it indicates there may not be a significant blood sugar improvement, and there may be a high risk of increased hypoglycemia, hyperglycemia, and DKA.
That is why it's always important to consult a doctor and your diabetes care team to discuss possible pros and cons if you're interested in using an off-label treatment for T1D along with insulin. It's also important to take all medications as prescribed.
Metformin
Metformin is a type of oral medication that's approved for type 2 diabetes. However, it's now also commonly prescribed by doctors, and some people with T1Ds use them successfully along with their insulin.
Since some T1Ds can develop insulin resistance, the insulin they take each day may not work as well as it once did. Metformin may be an option because it helps reduce sugar production in the liver.
Your doctor may advise you to take Metformin in addition to insulin, but that could mean they'd have to write an off-label prescription.
GLP-1s
Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (GLP-1) agonists help manage blood sugar levels and reduce hunger and food intake, possibly supporting weight loss along with managing diabetes glucose levels.
These may include:
Ozempic
Wegovy
Trulicity
Victoza
While these are FDA-cleared for those with T2D, some people with type 1 diabetes also choose to use these for the same reasons.
The diabetes clinical community, along with T1Ds, has been advocating for the FDA to consider labeling these medications beyond just T2D use, but as of mid-2025, that hasn't yet materialized.
SGLT-2 inhibitors
Sodium-glucose transport protein 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors are a class of medications that are also known as gliflozins. These prevent glucose from reabsorbing after it's filtered through your kidneys, helping that glucose to leave your body through urine and lowering blood sugar levels.
Invokana
Jardiance
Farxiga
Steglatro
This 2023 research review found moderate benefits for SGLT-2s in people type 1 diabetes, without an increase in risk or side effects.
One specific SGLT-2 called Sotagliflozin (Zynquista) could eventually be used to treat T1D along with insulin. It would work to lower glucose levels by forcing the body to release it in urine and reducing glucose absorption in the gut.
This 2019 research review shows the promise of the medication being used for T1D. However, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) denied Sotagliflozin in both 2019 and 2024 due to some concerns about the medication.
However, it is approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and may be reconsidered by the FDA in the future.
Consult your diabetes care team
Managing and treating type 1 diabetes is a very individualized process that requires working with your healthcare team. They can best help you understand the condition and learn what treatments may be best for your personal diabetes management and health goals.
Always consult your care team before making any treatment decisions, including the types and dosages of any medications you take.
For people with T1D, this will likely include diabetes specialists, including an endocrinologist, diabetes care and education specialist, and nutritionist or dietitian.
Cure research and related treatments
While there isn't a T1D cure on the horizon, researchers continue studying ways to prevent this autoimmune condition and reverse it for those who've already been diagnosed.
Some of the more promising research avenues currently include:
Gene therapy
For T1D, gene therapy could involve reprogramming alternative cells, making those reprogrammed cells perform the functions of the original insulin-producing beta cells.
But the reprogrammed cells would be different enough from beta cells so that your own immune system wouldn't recognize them as 'new cells' and attack them, which is what happens in the development of T1D.
Islet cell transplants
This involves transplanting donated or newly created insulin-making islet cells into the body or pancreas of someone with T1D. Islet transplants aren't new and have been an experimental treatment for many years.
This requires immunosuppressant drugs, which often have other side effects and are more expensive. Despite the limited promise of this therapy, many challenges exist.
In 2023, the FDA approved a first-of-its-kind treatment for a small number of people with T1D who have severe hypoglycemia and struggle to maintain their blood sugars. Known as Lantrida, this is the first pancreatic islet cellular therapy made from deceased donor pancreatic cells.
Other ongoing research explores using stem cells to generate new islet cells rather than transplanting them.
Functional bionic therapy
Largely based on technology that includes insulin pumps and continuous glucose monitors (CGM), these options to treat and manage T1D may be considered a 'functional cure' —something that basically makes life with this type of diabetes minimally burdensome and almost as 'good as being cured' for some people.
These may be the evolving technologies, including closed-loop systems that automatically manage insulin and glucose monitoring to keep blood sugars in target range. Various early systems exist and are getting better, and some believe that this could eventually become a standard of care in managing T1D — assuming affordability and access allow for it.
The takeaway
Insulin is the main and only required treatment for type 1 diabetes. This is needed because people with T1D don't naturally make insulin in their bodies as those without the condition do.
Other medications and types of therapy, alongside insulin, may also help people manage their blood sugar levels and diabetes overall. Some of these prescription medications may be considered 'off-label' drugs if your doctor is willing to prescribe them for T1D.
Diabetes management means routine blood sugar monitoring, exercise and eating routines, and other aspects, from sleep to mental health.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
30 minutes ago
- Yahoo
The new Ozempic? Weight-loss pill Amycretin could be more effective than jabs
A new weight-loss treatment that can be administered as either a weekly injection or a daily pill has shown promising results in early-stage trials, according to a new study. In one of the trials, 125 adults were assigned to weekly injections of amycretin. Those receiving the 60 milligram dose lost nearly a quarter of their body weight over 36 weeks. This would make amycretin a more effective than other weight loss drugs like Wegovy, where a trial found that patients lost 15 per cent of their body weight over a longer 68 week period. Another trial enrolled 144 adults to test the pill version of amycretin. Those who took the 100 milligram daily tablet lost an average of 13.1 percent of their weight over 12 weeks. While jabs like Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro only target the body's GLP-1 receptors, amycretin targets them as well as the amylin receptors, which help regulate blood glucose levels and appetite. The drug helps to prevent overeating and promote feelings of satiety. The findings were published in The Lancet and presented this week at the American Diabetes Association's Scientific Sessions in Chicago. Researchers also reported that the drug appeared to improve participants' blood sugar control, an important marker for those at risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. Novo Nordisk, the Danish pharmaceutical company behind amycretin — and also the maker of Wegovy and Ozempic — hopes the pill version of amycretin could make weight-loss therapy more accessible, especially in Britain, where around 1.5 million people currently receive weight-loss treatments, mostly as injections prescribed through specialised clinics or by private providers. Pill formulations may simplify prescribing and make long-term weight-loss support easier to scale up. Unlike drugs like Ozempic, amycretin tablets would not need to be refrigerated and do not require syringes. However, amycretin remains in the early stages of clinical testing and that larger trials will be required to fully establish its safety and efficacy. Both forms of the drug were also associated with improvements in blood sugar levels. Patients did report side effects, including nausea and vomiting, but researchers said that they tended to resolve as the treatment progressed.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Perspective Therapeutics Commences Recruitment for [212Pb]VMT-α-NET in the Third Dose Escalation Cohort of its Ongoing Phase 1/2a Clinical Trial
[212Pb]VMT-α-NET Phase 1/2a study is advancing into Cohort 3 with a fixed administered dose that is up to 20% higher (6 mCi) than the dose administered to patients in Cohort 2 Dosimetry sub-study analysis presented at the Society of Nuclear Medicine & Molecular Imaging (SNMMI) 2025 Annual Meeting to advance utility of dosimetry in clinical development when considered with clinical data On track to submit further clinical updates to scientific congresses in 2H 2025, including longer safety follow-up on all patients who have received at least one treatment of [212Pb]VMT-α-NET and anti-tumor activities in patients dosed to date who have had the opportunity to receive at least one scan after their full treatment SEATTLE, June 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Perspective Therapeutics, Inc. ("Perspective" or the "Company") (NYSE AMERICAN: CATX), a radiopharmaceutical company pioneering advanced treatments for cancers throughout the body, today announced that alignment was reached with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to open the third dosing cohort (Cohort 3) of its ongoing Phase 1/2a clinical trial for [212Pb]VMT-α-NET in patients with unresectable or metastatic somatostatin receptor 2 (SSTR2)-positive neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) who have not received prior radiopharmaceutical therapies (RPT). "We are excited to start exploring a higher dose level of VMT-α-NET after successfully completing an interaction with the FDA that was agreed prior to commencement of this trial," commented Markus Puhlmann, Chief Medical Officer of Perspective. "We are encouraged by the overall clinical profile observed at the second dose level of VMT-α-NET—including evidence of anti-tumor activity and primarily low-grade adverse events—and we believe it is important to assess whether a higher dose could further improve the therapeutic profile. Meanwhile, we remain committed to engaging with the FDA to evaluate the clinical utility of dosimetry estimates and analyses in the development of our proprietary RPTs." Patients in Cohort 3 will receive up to four fixed administered doses of [212Pb]VMT-α-NET at 6 mCi every eight weeks if they weigh more than 60kg (133lb), or 100μCi/kg of body weight if they weigh less than or equal to 60kg. Observations of dose limiting toxicities (DLTs) in up to eight patients within 42 days of the first treatment cycle will be used to assess whether this cohort of patients have received maximum tolerated dose (MTD) or maximum feasible dose (MFD). Once a safety monitoring committee (SMC) has reviewed the data from these initial patients, it may recommend exploring alternative dosing and/or recruit more patients into Cohort 3. Perspective is notifying sites that Cohort 3 is now open for recruitment. Patients currently being evaluated for entry into the study will enroll into Cohort 3 if they qualify. Pending feedback from sites on operationalizing enrollment into Cohort 3, an update on pace of recruitment will be provided in due course. About [212Pb]VMT-α-NETPerspective designed [212Pb]VMT-α-NET to target and deliver 212Pb to tumor sites expressing SSTR2. The Company is conducting a multi-center, open-label, dose-escalation, dose-expansion study ( identifier NCT05636618) of [212Pb]VMT-α-NET in patients with unresectable or metastatic SSTR2-positive neuroendocrine tumors who have not received a prior RPT. Interim update with a data cut-off date of April 30, 2025 were reported in an oral presentation at the 2025 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting in May 2025. Cohort 2 was reopened in August 2024. During 2H 2025, some of the 33 additional patients enrolled after the cohort reopened and through April 30, 2025 will have had the opportunity for at least 32 weeks of follow-up after their initial doses, sufficient time to receive at least one scan after their full treatment (up to four doses every eight weeks), if they receive all four doses of treatment per protocol. About Perspective Therapeutics, Therapeutics, Inc. is a radiopharmaceutical company pioneering advanced treatments for cancers throughout the body. The Company has proprietary technology that utilizes the alpha-emitting isotope 212Pb to deliver powerful radiation specifically to cancer cells via specialized targeting moieties. The Company is also developing complementary imaging diagnostics that incorporate the same targeting moieties, which provides the opportunity to personalize treatment and optimize patient outcomes. This "theranostic" approach enables the ability to see the specific tumor and then treat it to potentially improve efficacy and minimize toxicity. The Company's melanoma (VMT01), neuroendocrine tumor (VMT-α-NET), and solid tumor (PSV359) programs are in Phase 1/2a imaging and therapy trials in the U.S. The Company is growing its regional network of drug product finishing facilities, enabled by its proprietary 212Pb generator, to deliver patient-ready products for clinical trials and commercial operations. For more information, please visit the Company's website at Safe Harbor StatementThis press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements in this press release include statements concerning, among other things, the Company's ability to pioneer advanced treatments for cancers throughout the body; the Company's belief that it is on track to submit further clinical updates to scientific congresses in 2H 2025 and the planned content of such updates; the Company's ability to explore a higher dose level of VMT-α-NET; the Company's commitment to engage with the FDA to evaluate the clinical utility of dosimetry estimates and analyses in the development of its proprietary RPTs; the Company's expectation that patients currently being evaluated for entry into its VMT-α-NET study will enroll into Cohort 3 if they qualify; the ability of the Company's proprietary technology utilizing the alpha emitting isotope 212Pb to deliver powerful radiation specifically to cancer cells via specialized targeting moieties; the Company's prediction that the use of complementary imaging diagnostics that incorporate the same targeting moieties provides the opportunity to personalize treatment and optimize patient outcomes; the Company's belief that its "theranostic" approach enables the ability to see a specific tumor and then treat it to potentially improve efficacy and minimize toxicity; the Company's ability to grow its regional network of drug product finishing facilities, enabled by its proprietary 212Pb generator, to deliver patient-ready products for clinical trials and commercial operations; and other statements that are not historical fact. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause the Company's actual results to differ materially from the results described in or implied by the forward-looking statements. Certain factors that may cause the Company's actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements in this press release are described under the heading "Risk Factors" in the Company's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"), in the Company's other filings with the SEC, and in the Company's future reports to be filed with the SEC and available at Forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as of this date. Unless required to do so by law, we undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. Media and Investor Relations Contacts: Perspective Therapeutics IR:Annie J. Cheng, CFAir@ Russo Partners, LLCNic JohnsonPerspectiveIR@
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Animals recovering and being adopted after rescue operation
KINGSVILLE — The Ashtabula County Animal Protective League has been taking care of and adopting out many of the animals it took in from two rescue operations that took place last month. The rescue operations occurred during May at two homes in the Ashtabula area and recovered over 70 animals, mostly cats, alongside three dogs. 'Every single animal that came in received a medical exam, and we immediately started treatment on whatever we could,' APL Executive Director Catena Shore said. Many people helped out the animals, she said. 'We have some amazing people who were here literally nursing animals back to health,' Shore said. Shore said many of the animals are doing better. 'The vast majority of them are either completely recuperated, have been spayed or neutered, vaccinated and are up for adoption or already have been adopted out,' she said. Many of the cats have been doing great, Shore said. 'They're beautiful cats,' she said. 'Most of them are really really sweet. They're going really fast, and we're finding really good homes for them, which is really rewarding.' The APL is a no-kill shelter, Shore said. 'We do our best for every single animal that comes in through our doors,' she said. 'We do not euthanize for space.' Shore and other APL staff have been overseeing adoptions at the APL, she said. 'The dogs that came in from that case, two of them were bonded, so we were able to send them together, so they'll stay together,' she said. One of the adopters has been sending pictures to Shore, as the cat has been settling in the home, she said. 'Mind you, this cat came from ... the house, where he could hardly breathe, because there's fecal matter everywhere, so we got him fixed up, and we took him to PetSmart,' she said. 'He got adopted out from there, and he's living his best life right now.' Seeing the cat do better was really rewarding for Shore, she said. 'There's happy stories and situations like that,' she said. The APL accepts monetary donations through its website, Applications for adoption can be found on the APL's website. Charges were filed in Ashtabula Municipal Court related to the case earlier this week. Karen Pierce and Christopher Alexander were charged with 43 counts of cruelty to companion animals in an Ashtabula city case. Pierce was charged with 31 counts of cruelty to companion animals in an Ashtabula Township case.
