Diabetes Health Center
Type 2 Diabetes: Living With Complications - Treatment Overview
Treatment of your complications of type 2 diabetes depends on the stage of the disease.
In general, keeping your blood sugar levels in your target range can prevent or slow the worsening of your complication and reduce the risk of developing new ones. Keeping blood sugar under control can help protect your vision and kidney function even before you develop any symptoms of eye or kidney complications.
You should see your doctor regularly to review your treatment and to have screening exams and tests for complications.
If you are age 40 or older, talk to your doctor about taking a low-dose aspirin daily to help prevent heart attack, stroke, or other large blood vessel disease (macrovascular disease). People with diabetes are 2 to 4 times more likely than people who don't have diabetes to die from heart and blood vessel diseases.6
Effective treatment of high blood pressure and high cholesterol can help decrease your risk for worsening of complications. Stopping smoking and limiting alcohol to one drink a day for women and two drinks a day for men also can help.
For eye disease (diabetic retinopathy)
Keep all appointments with your eye specialist, and call if you notice any changes in your vision. Early detection and treatment of any changes can help prevent vision loss.
- Early (nonproliferative) diabetic retinopathy should be closely watched but may not need treatment right away. Laser treatment or surgical removal of the vitreous gel (vitrectomy) may be needed if the macula has been damaged by swelling (macular edema).
- Late-stage (proliferative) diabetic retinopathy may require laser treatment or vitrectomy.
If you have severe vision loss, use vision aids to help you do as much of your diabetes care and remain as active as possible. Your local or state organization for the visually impaired can help you find vision aids that are right for you.
For more information, see the topic Diabetic Retinopathy.
For heart and large blood vessel disease
Don't smoke. Smoking increases your risk for heart attack.
Control your blood pressure. Keep it at 130/80 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg) or lower. Often, more than one blood pressure medicine will be needed in addition to lifestyle changes. Blood pressure medicines that can be useful include:
- Diuretics.
- Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors.
- Angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs).
- Beta-blockers.
- Calcium channel blockers.
If your systolic blood pressure is between 130 mm Hg and 139 mm Hg or your diastolic blood pressure is between 80 mm Hg and 89 mm Hg, you may try some lifestyle or behavioral therapy for 3 months before starting medicine.5 For more information, see the topic High Blood Pressure (Hypertension).
Lower high cholesterol. Strive for a goal of less than 100 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) or aim for keeping it at 70 mg/dL for low-density lipoprotein (LDL), or "bad," cholesterol. High-density lipoprotein (HDL)-the "good" cholesterol-should be more than 40 mg/dL for men and more than 50 mg/dL for women. Triglycerides should be less than 150 mg/dL. A low-fat diet, exercise, and weight loss can lower your cholesterol. But you may need to take lipid-lowering medicines, such as statins, to reach your goals. Statins reduce LDL levels and the risk of heart disease in people who have diabetes.7 They also have been shown to reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke by one-third in people who have diabetes, even those who do not have high LDL levels or existing heart disease.8 For more information, see the topic High Cholesterol.
For nerve disease (diabetic neuropathy)
WebMD Medical Reference from Healthwise
Type 2 Diabetes: Living With Complications Topics
Indication
Uroxatral® (alfuzosin HCl 10 mg extended-release tablets) is an alpha1-blocker for the treatment of the signs and symptoms of BPH.
Important Safety Information
Do not take UROXATRAL if you have liver problems or if you are taking antifungal drugs like ketoconazole or itraconazole, or HIV drugs like ritonavir.
UROXATRAL can cause a sudden drop in blood pressure, especially when starting treatment. This may lead to fainting, dizziness, and lightheadedness. Do not drive, operate machinery, or do any dangerous activity until you know how UROXATRAL will affect you. This is especially important if you already have a problem with low blood pressure or take medicines to treat high blood pressure. There may be an increased risk of low blood pressure and fainting when taking UROXATRAL in combination with blood pressure medication or nitrates, or erectile dysfunction medication.
If considering cataract surgery (clouding of the eyes), tell your eye surgeon that you are currently taking UROXATRAL or have previously been treated with an alpha-blocker.
Before taking UROXATRAL, tell your doctor if you have kidney problems.
Also, tell your doctor if you or any family member(s) have or take medications for a rare heart condition known as congenital prolongation of the QT interval.
BPH and prostate cancer can cause the same symptoms. However, UROXATRAL is not a treatment for prostate cancer.
The most common side effects with UROXATRAL are dizziness, upper respiratory tract infection, headache, and tiredness.
Please see UROXATRAL full prescribing information.
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