Common Supplements and Vitamins in Diabetes, Chapter 1: Supplements and Medicines: The Difference
Supplements Don't Replace Medicine
A supplement cannot replace your prescribed treatment, and every product needs to go on your team's list.
You can explain why a supplement should never take the place of your prescribed treatment.
Your doctor gives you diabetes medicine and insulin. These help lower your blood sugar. They are part of your plan.
A supplement cannot be counted on to do that job. Some supplements show only small effects on blood sugar. Your medicine is the tool for that job, and a supplement is not.
Skipping or stopping a prescribed medicine can lead to high blood sugar. Over time, high blood sugar can harm your health. A supplement taken in its place does not change that.
You can feel well and still need your medicine. Blood sugar can rise even when you feel fine.
Supplements can interact with your medicines. One can change how the other works. Picture two cooks salting the same pot without telling each other. The dish can end up too salty.
Every product you take, even a vitamin, belongs on your list. Your team can only check what they know about.
Talk with your doctor or pharmacist before adding, stopping, or changing any product.
Key takeaways
- Your prescribed medicine is part of your treatment, and a supplement cannot replace it.
- Stopping a prescribed medicine can lead to high blood sugar.
- Every product, even a vitamin, belongs on your list.
Try it
Write every product you take on one list, vitamins included, and bring it to your next visit.