I am currently in an argument on another unrelated site about drug abuse that contained this quote from an NIDH article:
For instance, Type I Diabetics fail to take medication as prescribed or don’t follow diet and exercise recommendations at a rate of 30-50% according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
NIDA. (2018, January 17). Principles of Drug Addiction Treatment: A Research-Based Guide (Third Edition). Retrieved from https://www.drugabuse.gov/p… on 2018, June 22
I took offense to this " relapse" statistic. As far as I’m concerned a T1 cannot relapse because they can never be cured. The rest is just degree of control for various reasons. I feel that the NIDH article is misleading and rife with misunderstanding.
Am I being too sensitive or do I have a point? I mean, how many of us take our meds exactly as prescribed? And how many of us follow diet and exercise recommendations as prescribed.
What does “relapse” even mean in terms of Type 1, hypertension, or asthma?
I have all three of those. I take what’s prescribed to me. However, in the case of insulin exact doses are not prescribed, and I think any system that prescribed exact doses and expects a patient to stick to them at all times is seriously flawed.
There are people who skip insulin on purpose for various reasons and end up in DKA and the like. But 30-50% seems to encompass far more than just that group.
How can they, or better yet, how dare them to compare Type one to drug addiction. WTF, why is diabetes a part of the discussion on addiction. Ok maybe some PWD are non-compliant (I hate that term) but I have not yet met a diabetic that is abusing diabetic drugs.
What do they think we are, do they think we are all a bunch of insulin junkies, insulin dependent T2s like myself included.
I only have a second to comment, but if I said what I first thought I would probably be banned for life. Here it goes, I said “are you F*ng kidding me”?
If most of us on this site followed directions as prescribed I am sure most of us would be worse off - with a poorer quality of life, feeling sick, and experiencing general unhappiness…
Relapse in this chart refers to patients who experience recurrence of symptoms that requires additional medical care. The recurrence rates are similar across these chronic illnesses, underscoring that drug use disorders should be treated like other chronic conditions; symptom recurrence serves as a trigger for renewed intervention.
I am wondering if this has to do with people who do not follow basic diabetes care (ie no BG checks, not giving insulin after meals, etc) and are frequently hospitalized with dangerously high BG/ are in DKA.
I think there are more people than we would like to realize that do not provide basic diabetes care for themselves or their loved ones.
Or I might be totally off. Data and statistics can be manipulated.
@beth Sure, I think it’s that. But 30-50%? If so there would not be so many relapses as there would be deaths. As T1 you can’t expect to not take insulin and remain alive.
Agreed. You need insulin to live. Could this also account for people who do not take enough insulin? Do you know if this study was just with the US or does it include other countries?
Is it 30-50% of those who “lapse” have a “relapse” ala same people with multiple hospitalizations for the same issue. If one struggles to take care of themselves they will continue to struggle to take care of themselves.
