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Other Names for this Medicine:
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Glyset miglitol
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Brand Name Generic Name
Precose acarbose
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There are now two alpha-glucosidase inhibitors, acarbose (AK-er-bose) and miglitol (MIG-leh-tall). Both medicines block the enzymes that digest the starches you eat. This action causes a slower and lower rise of blood glucose through the day, but mainly right after meals.
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Neither acarbose nor miglitol causes hypoglycemia when it is the only diabetes medicine you take.
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How often should I take acarbose or miglitol?
Three times a day, at each meal. Your doctor might ask you to take the medicine less often at first.
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When should I take acarbose or miglitol?
With the first bite of a meal.
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What are possible side effects?
Taking this pill may cause stomach problems (gas, bloating, and diarrhea) that most often go away after you take the medicine for a while.
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Other Names for this Medicine:
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Brand Name
Actos pioglitazone
(ACT-ose) (py-oh-GLIT-uh-zone)
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Generic Name
Avandia rosiglitazone
(uh-VAN-dee-uh) (rose-ee-GLIT-uh-zone)
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Thiazolidinediones
Note: Troglitazone (Rezulin) was withdrawn from the market in March 2000. Thiazolidinediones (THIGH-ah-ZO-li-deen-DYE-owns) help make your cells more sensitive to insulin. The insulin can then move glucose from your blood into your cells for energy.
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How often should I take pioglitazone or rosiglitazone?
• Pioglitazone: Usually once a day.
• Rosiglitazone: Either once or twice a day.
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When should I take pioglitazone or rosiglitazone?
• Pioglitazone: At about the same time each day, with or without a meal.
• Rosiglitazone: At about the same time each day, usually in the morning, with or without a meal. Or in the morning and in the evening, with or without meals.
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What are the possible side effects of pioglitazone or rosiglitazone?
• If you take pioglitazone or rosiglitazone, it is important for your health care provider to check your liver enzyme levels regularly. Call your doctor right away if you have any signs of liver disease: nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, lack of appetite, tiredness, yellowing of the skin or whites of the eyes, or dark-colored urine. (Some people who took troglitazone, another thiazolidinedione, have had serious liver problems. Troglitazone is no longer available.)
• Medicines in this group don't cause blood glucose to drop too low. But if you take other diabetes medicines along with medicines in this group, your blood glucose might drop too low.
• If you take birth control pills, medicines in this group might make your birth control pills less effective in preventing pregnancy. These medicines may increase your chances of getting pregnant.
• You may gain weight while taking these medicines.
• You may be at risk for developing anemia (uh-NEE-mee-ah), which will make you feel tired. Anemia causes your blood to carry less oxygen (OX-ih-jen) than normal.
• You may have swelling in your legs or your ankles, also called edema (eh-DEE-mah).
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Are other diabetes medicines used with thiazolidinediones?
Yes, your health care provider may ask you to take another diabetes medicine along with a thiazolidinedione. Or you may take a thiazolidinedione as your only diabetes medicine. These combinations work well together to control blood glucose:
• pioglitazone with a sulfonylurea, metformin, or insulin
• rosiglitazone with metformin
Meglitinides
Other Names for this Medicine:
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Brand Name
Prandin
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Generic Name
Rapaglinide
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Meglitinides (meh-GLIT-in-ides) are another type of diabetes medicine. Repaglinide (re-PAG-lyn-ide) is the name of a meglitinide. This medicine helps your pancreas make more insulin right after meals, which lowers blood glucose. Your doctor might prescribe repaglinide by itself or with metformin (another diabetes medicine) if one medicine alone does not control your blood glucose levels.
A good thing about repaglinide is that it works fast and your body uses it quickly. This fast action means you can vary the times you eat and the number of meals you eat more easily using repaglinide than you can using other diabetes medicines.
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How often should I take repaglinide?
Your doctor will tell you to take repaglinide before you eat a meal. If you skip a meal, you should not take the dose of repaglinide.
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When should I take repaglinide?
From 30 minutes before to just before a meal. Repaglinide lowers blood glucose the most 1 hour after you take it, and it is out of the bloodstream in 3 to 4 hours.
What are possible side effects of repaglinide?
• hypoglycemia
• weight gain
D-Phynilalanine
Other Names for this Medicine:
Brand Name
Starlix
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Generic Name
Nateglinide
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Nateglinide (nah-TAG-lin-ide) is the first medicine in a new group of diabetes pills called D-phenylalanine (dee-fen-nel-AL-ah-neen) derivatives. Nateglinide helps your pancreas make more insulin quickly and for a short time. Then the insulin helps lower your blood glucose after you eat a meal.
How often should I take nateglinide?
You take it with each meal. If you skip a meal, you should not take your nateglinide pill.
When should I take nateglinide?
You should take it from 1 to 30 minutes before a meal.
What are possible side effects?
This medicine may cause your blood glucose to drop too low. If you have liver disease, talk with your health care provider, since this medicine has not been tested in people with liver disease. Also, ask whether your other medicines might interact with nateglinide.
Are other diabetes medicines used with nateglinide?
Yes, your health care provider may ask you to take metformin along with nateglinide.
Other Names for this Medicine:
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Brand Name
Glucovance glyburide +
metformin
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Generic Name
hydrochloride
How often should I take Glucovance?
Glucovance can be taken once or twice a day. Your health care provider will tell you how often to take it.
When should I take Glucovance?
With meals.
What are possible side effects?
Glucovance may cause your blood glucose to drop too low. Also, your doctor may not want you to take it if you have kidney problems. If you need medical tests that require using dyes, or if you are having surgery, your doctor will tell you to stop taking Glucovance for a short time. This medicine should not be used by people who often drink alcoholic beverages.
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Januvia:
New oral diabetes medication gets federal OK
A new diabetes medication has joined the arsenal of drugs available to treat type 2 diabetes. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved sitagliptin phosphate (Januvia), an oral diabetes medication in a new class of drugs known as DPP-4 inhibitors. Taken as a once-a-day tablet, Januvia enhances the body's ability to lower elevated blood sugar.
When blood sugar rises — after a meal, for example — certain proteins stimulate the release of insulin, a hormone that regulates the absorption of sugar into your cells. But when you have type 2 diabetes, your body is resistant to the effects of insulin or produces some, but not enough, insulin to maintain a normal blood sugar level. Enter Januvia. The medication blocks an enzyme called dipeptidyl peptidase 4, or DPP-4, which breaks down the proteins that trigger the release of insulin. The result is better insulin release and blood sugar control.
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Januvia isn't necessarily a front-line treatment for type 2 diabetes. It's approved for use in people who have type 2 diabetes that's not adequately controlled with diet, exercise and certain other commonly prescribed oral diabetes medications.
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In clinical studies, the most common side effects of Januvia were upper respiratory tract infection, sore throat and diarrhea. Weight gain and low blood sugar — troublesome side effects of various other oral diabetes medications — don't appear to be as likely with Januvia.
What does this mean to you? Controlling your blood sugar is essential to avoiding long-term complications of type 2 diabetes. If you're struggling to control your blood sugar with diet, exercise and traditional diabetes medications, Januvia may provide a welcome alternative. Ask your doctor if Januvia would be an appropriate addition to your current treatment plan, or if the drug could be used in place of the medications you're currently taking.
To view information on another digestive disease, click on SOD and Pancreatitis Library.
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