Background: While there are conventional drugs for managing DM, some patients with DM use TM. The aim of the study was to explore why patients with DM use TM for the treatment of DM, also to know the proportion of DM patients using TM, also to assess the contribution of mis adherence caused by instructions they get from TM practioners.
Methods: The study was conducted in Lake zone of Tanzania at BMC DM patients with; thirteen key informant interviews; focused on what respondents perceived as reasons for patients with diabetes taking traditional medicine for those who had visited TM practioner was done using SPSS.
Results: The proportion of DM patients taking TM was known and reasons for taking traditional medicine included finding difficulties accessing hospitals, diabetic drugs being out of stock, TM being acceptable and available within community, as well as being supplied in big quantities. Others were TM being cheaper than conventional medicine treatment and payment for it being done in installments. TM was also more convenient to take and was marketed aggressively by the herbalists. Influence of family and friends as well as traditional healers contributed to use TM.
Conclusions: Possibilities of putting diabetic drugs at facilities closer to patients need to be considered and health facilities should have a constant supply of diabetic drugs. Community members need to be sensitized on the proper treatment for DM and on the dangers of taking TM.