2nd Edition-September 2005
Medications Used to Treat Diabetes
With benefits, risks, and possible side effects of each medicine.
With benefits, risks, and possible side effects of each medicine.
By: Cindy Canter
* Alpha-glucosidase Inhibitors:
Lowers blood glucose by blocking the breakdown of starches,
such as bread, potatoes, and pasta in the intestine
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
* Meglitol (Glyset):
Possible benefits: Effective lowering of blood sugar, can be
used in type 1 or type 2 diabetics, decreased risk of high
blood pressure, heart disease or other long term damage of
high blood sugar, can be combined with sulfonylurea.
Possible risks: Gas and abdominal pain
Possible side effects:
Gas, diarrhea-tends to decrease over time
Possible adverse effects:
Allergic reactions: skin rash, itching
Sleepiness, headache, dizziness-questionable cause
Pain or swelling in the belly-frequent
Gas or diarrhea-often eases
Low iron-infrequent
Possible serious adverse effects:
Low blood sugar if combined with sulfonylureas-possible
Anemia-possible
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
* Acarbose (Precose):
Possible benefits: Effective lowering of blood sugar,
decreases sudden spikes in blood sugar after meals,
decreased risk of high blood pressure, blindness, heart
disease, or other long-term damage of uncontrolled diabetes,
may be combined with insulin, metformin, or a sulfonylurea,
may prevent type 2 diabetes in people with pre-diabetes.
Possible risks: Gas and abdominal pain, increased liver
function tests, combination use gives better results but
increases risk for excessively low blood sugar
Possible side effects:
Gas or diarrhea
Possible adverse effects:
Allergic reactions: skin redness, itching
Sleepiness, headache, dizziness
Pain or swelling of the belly-frequent
Gas or diarrhea-frequent
Possible serious adverse effects:
Low blood sugar: especially if combined with sulfonylureas or
other anti-diabetes medicines possible
Anemia-rare
Increased liver enzymes
Abnormal lipids
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
* Insulin:
Injected anti-diabetes medicine Possible benefits: Effective
control of type 1 diabetes, effective control of type 2 diabetes
in combination with other anti-diabetes medicine when control
goals are not met, quick onset, control of gestational diabetes,
tight control may help avoid or delay complications of
diabetes, can be used in insulin pumps.
Possible risks: Low blood sugar with excessive dose or when
meal is skipped or inadequate, infrequent allergic reactions
Possible side effects:
Hypoglycemia (low blood sugar)
Weight gain
Possible adverse effects:
Allergic reactions: local redness, swelling, and itching at
injection site-infrequent
Taste disorders-possible
Thinning of subcutaneous tissue at injection sites-infrequent
Possible serious adverse effects:
Allergic reaction: anaphylactic reaction
Severe, prolonged hypoglycemia
Anemia
Arrhythmias
Insulin resistance-possible to rare
Lowers blood glucose by blocking the breakdown of starches,
such as bread, potatoes, and pasta in the intestine
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
* Meglitol (Glyset):
Possible benefits: Effective lowering of blood sugar, can be
used in type 1 or type 2 diabetics, decreased risk of high
blood pressure, heart disease or other long term damage of
high blood sugar, can be combined with sulfonylurea.
Possible risks: Gas and abdominal pain
Possible side effects:
Gas, diarrhea-tends to decrease over time
Possible adverse effects:
Allergic reactions: skin rash, itching
Sleepiness, headache, dizziness-questionable cause
Pain or swelling in the belly-frequent
Gas or diarrhea-often eases
Low iron-infrequent
Possible serious adverse effects:
Low blood sugar if combined with sulfonylureas-possible
Anemia-possible
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
* Acarbose (Precose):
Possible benefits: Effective lowering of blood sugar,
decreases sudden spikes in blood sugar after meals,
decreased risk of high blood pressure, blindness, heart
disease, or other long-term damage of uncontrolled diabetes,
may be combined with insulin, metformin, or a sulfonylurea,
may prevent type 2 diabetes in people with pre-diabetes.
Possible risks: Gas and abdominal pain, increased liver
function tests, combination use gives better results but
increases risk for excessively low blood sugar
Possible side effects:
Gas or diarrhea
Possible adverse effects:
Allergic reactions: skin redness, itching
Sleepiness, headache, dizziness
Pain or swelling of the belly-frequent
Gas or diarrhea-frequent
Possible serious adverse effects:
Low blood sugar: especially if combined with sulfonylureas or
other anti-diabetes medicines possible
Anemia-rare
Increased liver enzymes
Abnormal lipids
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
* Insulin:
Injected anti-diabetes medicine Possible benefits: Effective
control of type 1 diabetes, effective control of type 2 diabetes
in combination with other anti-diabetes medicine when control
goals are not met, quick onset, control of gestational diabetes,
tight control may help avoid or delay complications of
diabetes, can be used in insulin pumps.
Possible risks: Low blood sugar with excessive dose or when
meal is skipped or inadequate, infrequent allergic reactions
Possible side effects:
Hypoglycemia (low blood sugar)
Weight gain
Possible adverse effects:
Allergic reactions: local redness, swelling, and itching at
injection site-infrequent
Taste disorders-possible
Thinning of subcutaneous tissue at injection sites-infrequent
Possible serious adverse effects:
Allergic reaction: anaphylactic reaction
Severe, prolonged hypoglycemia
Anemia
Arrhythmias
Insulin resistance-possible to rare
