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I do not want to start insulin. My friend who started insulin now has to stay on it forever.
This is true to all patients with type 1 diabetes and partially true to certain people with type 2 diabetes. For patients with type 1 diabetes, the body does not produce insulin and so will need     more
Question Posted:
2010-12-03 10:35
Question: 
Could I manage my type 2 diabetes through diet and exercise alone and at some point stop taking my medicine?
Answer: 

It depends on the type of diabetes, the rate of progression and how long you have actually had diabetes. Type 1 diabetes has no cure. An individual with Type 1 diabetes must take insulin daily for life. In the case of Type 2 diabetes, if it is diagnosed early, one may be able to use exercise and proper diet along with weight loss (if being overweight is an issue) to control blood glucose without medication.

It is important to note that Type 2 diabetes is often a progressive condition with a gradual decline in the body's ability to make insulin. That means most individuals with Type 2 diabetes will eventually need to use more medicine and eventually insulin to control their blood glucose. This process, however, may take years to occur. At this stage of diabetes, diet and exercise is still very important but may not be sufficient to control blood glucose.
 
It is sometimes difficult to know exactly when diabetes starts in an individual because the symptoms of early diabetes are often not easily noticeable. The latest statistics show that 25% of people living with diabetes actually do not know they have the condition. Therefore, early detection is important.
 
Answered by William Hsu, M.D.