Diabetes Medicines

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Basics

• Summary
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• Latest News
• Treatments and Therapies

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• Related Issues
• Specifics
• Genetics

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Research

• Statistics and Research
• Clinical Trials
• Journal Articles

Resources

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For You

• Women
• Patient Handouts

Summary

Diabetes means your blood glucose, or blood sugar, levels are too high. If you can't control your diabetes with wise food choices and physical activity, you may need diabetes medicines. The kind of medicine you take depends on your type of diabetes, your schedule, and your other health conditions.

With type 1 diabetes, your pancreas does not make insulin. Insulin is a hormone that helps glucose get into your cells to give them energy. Without insulin, too much glucose stays in your blood. If you have type 1 diabetes, you will need to take insulin.

Type 2 diabetes, the most common type, can start when the body doesn't use insulin as it should. If your body can't keep up with the need for insulin, you may need to take pills. Along with meal planning and physical activity, diabetes pills help people with type 2 diabetes or gestational diabetes keep their blood glucose levels on target. Several kinds of pills are available. Each works in a different way. Many people take two or three kinds of pills. Some people take combination pills. Combination pills contain two kinds of diabetes medicine in one tablet. Some people take pills and insulin.

NIH: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

Start Here

• Diabetes Medicines (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) Also in Spanish
• Insulin Basics (American Diabetes Association) Also in Spanish
• Insulin Therapy (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish
• Taking Medication (American Association of Diabetes Educators) - PDF Also in Spanish
• Women and Diabetes -- Diabetes Medicines (Food and Drug Administration)

Latest News

• Can Folks with Type 2 Diabetes Forgo the Finger Stick? (06/12/2017, HealthDay)
• Study Confirms Link Between Diabetes Med and Rare but Dangerous Complication (06/07/2017, HealthDay)
• Suicide by Insulin? (05/19/2017, HealthDay)
• More News on Diabetes Medicines

Treatments and Therapies

• Herbs, Supplements and Alternative Medicines (American Diabetes Association) Also in Spanish

Related Issues

• Beware of Illegally Marketed Diabetes Treatments (Food and Drug Administration) Also in Spanish
• Byetta, Victoza, Bydureon: Diabetes Drugs and Weight Loss (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
• Insulin and Weight Gain: Keep the Pounds Off (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
• Insulin Pumps (American Diabetes Association) Also in Spanish
• Intensive Insulin Therapy: Tight Blood Sugar Control (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
• Managing Your Medicines (American Diabetes Association) - PDF
• More Choices Available for Diabetes Management (Food and Drug Administration)

Specifics

• Diabetes and Insulin (Hormone Health Network) - PDF Also in Spanish
• Diabetes Mellitus Type 1: Insulin Treatment (Beyond the Basics) (UpToDate)
• Diabetes Mellitus Type 2: Insulin Treatment (Beyond the Basics) (UpToDate)
• DPP-4 Inhibitors: Incretin-Based Medicine for Type 2 Diabetes (Hormone Health Network) - PDF Also in Spanish
• GLP-1 Receptor Agonists (Hormone Health Network) Also in Spanish
• Insulin (Food and Drug Administration)
• Insulin Secretagogues (Hormone Health Network) Also in Spanish
• Oral Medication (American Diabetes Association) Also in Spanish
• Other Injectable Medications (American Diabetes Association)
• Treating Type 2 Diabetes (Consumers Union of U.S., National Center for Farmworker Health) - PDF Also in Spanish
• Type 2 Diabetes and TZDs (Thiazolidinediones) (Hormone Health Network) - PDF Also in Spanish

Genetics

• Genetics Home Reference: type 1 diabetes (National Library of Medicine)

Statistics and Research

• Patient Access to Research (American Diabetes Association)

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Hypoglycemic Agents (National Institutes of Health)
• ClinicalTrials.gov: Insulin (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

• Article: Incretin based treatments and mortality in patients with type 2...
• Article: Cardiovascular Protection in the Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes: A...
• Article: Cardiovascular Protection by Sodium Glucose Cotransporter 2 Inhibitors: Potential Mechanisms.
• Diabetes Medicines -- see more articles

Find an Expert

• American Diabetes Association
• Directory of Diabetes Organizations (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) - PDF
• National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

Women

• Women and Diabetes (Food and Drug Administration)

Patient Handouts

• Diabetes - low blood sugar - self-care (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Giving an insulin injection (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Oral hypoglycemics overdose (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish