Standard of living picks, at the side of eating a healthy diet, exercising and staying at a healthy weight, are key to managing variety 2 diabetes. But you also may possibly well per chance must steal medication to need your blood sugar, is also called glucose, at a healthy level. Infrequently one medication is sufficient. In diversified circumstances, taking a total lot of medicines works better.
The list of medicines for variety 2 diabetes is lengthy and shall be confusing. Safe time to search out out about these medicines — how they’re taken, what they fabricate and what unintended effects they may possibly well also impartial motive. That may possibly well per chance abet you assemble ready to hunt advice out of your properly being care provider about diabetes therapy picks that are honest for you.
Diabetes therapy: Reducing blood sugar
A few classes of variety 2 diabetes medicines exist. Every class of capsules works in a definite potential to decrease blood sugar. A medication may possibly well per chance also impartial work by:
- Inflicting the pancreas to assemble and release extra insulin.
- Limiting the liver’s capacity to assemble and release sugar.
- Blockading the action of enzymes in the intestines that destroy down carbohydrates, slowing how quick cells soak up carbohydrates.
- Bettering cells’ sensitivity to insulin.
- Limiting the kidneys’ capacity to soak up sugar, which increases the volume of sugar that leaves the physique in urine.
- Slowing how quick meals strikes by the belly.
Every class of capsules has one or extra medicines. Just a few of those medicines are taken by mouth, while others be pleased to be taken as a shot.
Compare diabetes medicines
Beneath is an inventory of general diabetes medicines. Varied medicines shall be found in too. Quiz your properly being care provider about your picks and the execs and cons of every.
Medications you steal by mouth
Meglitinides
Medications
- Repaglinide
- Nateglinide
Motion
- Trigger the discharge of insulin from the pancreas
Advantages
- Work quick
Doable unintended effects
- Blood sugar phases fall too low — a condition called hypoglycemia
- Weight attain
Sulfonylureas
Medications
- Glipizide (Glucotrol XL)
- Glimepiride (Amaryl)
- Glyburide (DiaBeta, Glynase)
Motion
- Trigger the discharge of insulin from the pancreas
Advantages
- Low payment
- Effective in lowering blood sugar
Doable unintended effects
- Blood sugar phases fall too low
- Weight attain
- Skin rash
- Nausea or vomiting for those that drink alcohol
Dipeptidyl-peptidase 4 (DPP-4) inhibitors
Medications
- Saxagliptin (Onglyza)
- Sitagliptin (Januvia)
- Linagliptin (Tradjenta)
- Alogliptin (Nesina)
Motion
- Trigger the discharge of insulin when blood sugar is rising
- Limit the liver’s capacity to release glucose
Advantages
- Don’t motive weight attain
- Don’t motive blood sugar phases to fall too low when broken-down alone or with metformin
Doable unintended effects
- Upper respiratory tract infection
- Sore throat
- Headache
Biguanides
Medications
- Metformin (Fortamet, Glumetza, others)
Motion
- Limit the liver’s capacity to release sugar
- Toughen cells’ sensitivity to insulin
Advantages
- Very effective
- Also can impartial lead to minor weight reduction
- Low payment
Doable unintended effects
- Nausea
- Abdominal disaster
- Diarrhea
- Very infrequently, the awful buildup of lactic acid — a condition called lactic acidosis —in folk with kidney failure or liver failure
Thiazolidinediones
Medications
- Rosiglitazone (Avandia)
- Pioglitazone (Actos)
Motion
- Toughen cells’ sensitivity to insulin
- Limit the liver’s capacity to assemble and release sugar
Advantages
- Also can impartial reasonably develop high-density lipoprotein (HDL) ldl cholesterol, the “correct” ldl cholesterol
Doable unintended effects
- Weight attain
- Fluid retention
- Increased likelihood of broken bones
- Increased likelihood of heart concerns, at the side of heart failure
- Doable elevated likelihood of bladder cancer with pioglitazone
Folk with liver concerns or a historical previous of heart failure mustn’t steal this roughly diabetes medication.
Alpha-glucosidase inhibitors
Medications
- Acarbose
- Miglitol (Glyset)
Motion
- Gradual the physique’s capacity to breakdown starches and a few sugars
Advantages
- Don’t motive weight attain
- Don’t motive blood sugar phases to fall too low unless you steal them with insulin or a sulfonylurea
Doable unintended effects
- Fuel
- Abdominal disaster
- Diarrhea
Sodium-glucose transporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors
Medications
- Canagliflozin (Invokana)
- Dapagliflozin (Farxiga)
- Empagliflozin (Jardiance)
- Ertugliflozin (Steglatro)
Motion
- Limit the kidneys’ capacity to soak up sugar, which increases the volume of sugar that leaves the physique in urine
Advantages
- Also can impartial lead to weight reduction
- Also can impartial decrease blood stress
Doable unintended effects
- Urinary tract infections
- Yeast infections
Bile acid sequestrants
Medications
- Colesevelam (Welchol)
Motion
- Lower ldl cholesterol and be pleased a shrimp enact in lowering blood sugar when broken-down with diversified diabetes medicines
Advantages
- Doubtless safe for folk with liver concerns
Doable unintended effects
- Fuel
- Constipation
- Indigestion
- Upward thrust in blood fat called triglycerides
Medications you steal as a shot
Amylin mimetics
Medications
- Pramlintide (Symlin)
Motion
- Wait on lend a hand watch over blood sugar
- Gradual meals transferring by the belly
- Former with insulin shots
Advantages
- Also can impartial decrease starvation
- Also can impartial lead to minor weight reduction
Doable unintended effects
- Blood sugar phases fall too low
- Nausea
- Belly disaster
Incretin mimetic (GLP-1 receptor agonists)
Medications
- Dulaglutide (Trulicity)
- Exenatide (Byetta, Bydureon Bcise)
- Liraglutide (Saxenda, Victoza)
- Lixisenatide (Adlyxin)
- Semaglutide (Ozempic, Rybelsus, Wegovy)
Motion
- Trigger the discharge of insulin as blood sugar phases are rising
- Also can impartial be broken-down with metformin, basal insulin or a sulfonylurea
Advantages
- Also can impartial decrease starvation
- Also can impartial lead to weight reduction
Doable unintended effects
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Belly disaster
- Increased likelihood of infected pancreas — a condition called pancreatitis
Easy systems to make a choice your diabetes medication
No one diabetes therapy is easiest for each person. What works for one person may possibly well per chance also impartial no longer work for another. Your properly being care provider can showcase how one medication or extra than one medicines may possibly well per chance also impartial plug into your diabetes therapy belief. Infrequently combining medicines may possibly well per chance also impartial develop the effectiveness of every particular person medication to decrease blood sugar. Talk about to your provider in regards to the execs and cons of specific diabetes medicines for you.
From Mayo Clinic to your inbox
Be half of free, and tackle up up to now on study advancements, properly being systems and up to date properly being topics, cherish COVID-19, plus abilities on managing properly being.
To produce you with the most connected and priceless knowledge, and perceive which
knowledge is helpful, we may possibly well per chance also impartial combine your email and online internet page utilization knowledge with
diversified knowledge now we be pleased about you. If you happen to may possibly well per chance also very properly be a Mayo Clinic affected person, this may possibly well per chance
consist of trusty properly being knowledge. If we combine this knowledge alongside with your trusty
properly being knowledge, we can treat all of that knowledge as trusty properly being
knowledge and may possibly well per chance be pleased to nonetheless handiest philosophize or notify that knowledge as situation forth in our look of
privacy practices. That it is seemingly you’ll per chance also impartial make a choice-out of email communications at any time by clicking on
the unsubscribe hyperlink in the e-mail.
Oct. 29, 2022
- Papadakis MA, et al., eds. Diabetes mellitus and hypoglycemia. In: Recent Clinical Diagnosis & Treatment 2023. 62nd ed. McGraw-Hill; 2023. https://accessmedicine.mhmedical.com. Accessed Sept. 22, 2022.
- Wexler DJ. Overview of trendy sanatorium treatment in nonpregnant adults with diabetes mellitus. https://www.uptodate.com/contents/search. Accessed Sept. 22, 2022.
- Oral medication: What are my alternate strategies? American Diabetes Affiliation. https://diabetes.org/healthy-residing/medication-therapies/oral-medication/what-are-my-alternate strategies. Accessed Sept. 22, 2022.
- Wexler DJ. Sulfonylureas and meglitinides in the therapy of diabetes mellitus. https://www.uptodate.com/contents/search. Accessed Sept. 22, 2022.
- Melmed S, et al., eds. Therapeutics of variety 2 diabetes mellitus. In: Williams Textbook of Endocrinology. 14th ed. Elsevier; 2016. https://www.clinicalkey.com. Accessed Sept. 22, 2022.
- Castro MR (expert thought). Mayo Clinic. Sept. 22, 2022.
.
%%%%
