Diabetes Drug - Preventing Type 1 Diabetes Condition

The popular drugs being used in an attempt to prevent type 1 diabetes work by trying to protect beta cells in the pancreas from the body's immune system. The following is a list of some of these drugs and what scientists have done with these drugs towards the goal of type 1 diabetes prevention:

1. Insulin: Studies have tested the effects of small insulin injections on patients with islet cell antibodies. These studies show promising results in terms of prolonging the time between the detection of these antibodies and the development of symptoms. Unfortunately, insulin doesn't show too much promise in terms of preventing the development of type 1 diabetes at this time.

2. Nicotinamide: This is a B vitamin. So far most studies of nicotinamide have been done on small animals. Nicotinamide appears to be effective in protecting the beta cells of animals known to be prone to diabetes. A lot more studies still need to be done before nicotinamide is tested on larger animals and then put into human trials.

3. Steroids: Steroids are often prescribed for autoimmune conditions. Prednisone is a popular steroid used in the treatment of autoimmune conditions. In terms of diabetes, steroids have not been as effective. It appears that steroids can slow down the development of type 1 diabetes if used as an early treatment. However, steroids have not been demonstrated to stop the process. Further, steroids come with a lot of side effects, particularly when used by children. Steroids may even stunt the child's growth. Also, the entire immune system is weakened by steroid use. Children who do not have a fully developed immune system may suffer severe consequences from steroid use.

4. Cytotoxic drugs: These drugs take direct action against the immune system cells that destroy the pancreatic beta cells. These drugs, when effective, can increase the time it takes to develop type 1 diabetes. Cytotoxic drugs can be very dangerous. Many of the patients involved in the drug testing experienced severe side effects. Further, cytotoxic drugs do not always hit their cell targets.