If you have experienced complications as a result of your diabetes, your physician may recommend you taking benfotiamine. Benfotiamine is a synthetic variation of Vitamin B-1, and is also known as thiamine.
Uses For Benfotiamine If You Have Diabetes
There are a number of different complications for which the use of benfotiamine would be indicated, but what they all have in common is that they are almost always caused by a consistent, high concentration of blood sugar. This can occur when the diabetic’s blood sugar is not properly regulated, either because the specific treatment that he is on has not been working effectively, or because he is not adhering to his physician’s recommendations of treatment.
One serious complication which can arise from this is diabetic retinopathy. The manifestations of this condition include a variety of problems with one’s vision. Diabetic retinopathy is directly caused by too-high blood sugar levels effecting the blood vessels of the eye’s retina. If a diabetic is experiencing any problems with his vision which he did not have before, he should seek advice from his physician immediately. If it is left untreated, diabetic retinopathy can result in permanent blindness.
Diabetic nephropathy is a complication which causes the kidneys to stop functioning properly. If treatment for this condition is not begun immediately, the eventual result can be kidney failure. The prospect of dealing with the difficult process of kidney dialysis for the rest of one’s life should in itself be enough motivation to do whatever it takes to avoid this potential problem.
Diabetic neuropathy can also occur as a result of consistently high blood sugar. This form of damage to the nervous system effects various parts of the body, including the loss of sensation on the skin to heat and to cold.
The way that unregulated high blood sugar causes these conditions is that it finds its way into the small blood vessels and nerve cells, causing damage to both. The blood vessels which supply the blood to these organs are then too damaged to work properly.
Cautions When Taking Benfotiamine
Although it is not currently available for widespread use, benfotiamine is considered to be one of the most worthwhile aids in preventing these complications. Benfotiamine is designed to work by stopping the excessive blood sugar from building up in the blood vessels. In addition to the fact that it has not yet been accepted for widespread use, it is also important to take into consideration the fact that possible side-effects from benfotiamine are not yet known.
While your physician may or may not recommend the use of something which is still essentially in the experimental stage, one point should be clear: in the long run, it is much easier to do whatever is necessary to keep your blood sugar regulated than to attempt to deal with any of these potential complications afterward.
Even though benfotiamine appears to be the treatment of choice in order to avoid these serious complications, it is not likely that it will be able to be very constructive in reversing any damage which may already have occurred.
