Diabetes medicine

Your doctor may prescribe one or more medicines to help control your blood sugar, along with your plan to eat healthy and stay active.

Several kinds of medicines may help control blood sugar. Most people take pills while others take insulin. Some newer medicines for type 2 diabetes are injected. Your doctor will tell you which kind of medicine you need and why.

Over time, as your body changes, your doctor may make some changes in your treatment to help control your blood sugar. He or she may:

- Change your dose
- Add a new medicine or insulin
- Switch pills

Types of pills

- Alpha-glucosidase inhibitors prevent the breakdown of starches, such as bread, potatoes, and pasta in the intestine. They also slow the breakdown of some sugars. Their action slows the rise in blood glucose levels after a meal.
- Biguanides reduce the amount of sugar produced by the liver and make muscle tissue more sensitive to insulin so that sugar can be absorbed.
- DPP-4 inhibitors help improve A1C without causing low blood sugar (hypoglycemia). They work by preventing the breakdown of a naturally occurring compound in the body.
- Sulfonylureas and meglitinides stimulate the beta cells in the pancreas to release more insulin.
- Thiazolidinediones help insulin work better in the muscle and fat and also reduce the liver’s sugar production. They target insulin resistance.

Diabetes pills don't work for everyone. Although you may find that your blood glucose levels go down when you start taking pills, your blood sugar levels may not reach the normal range.

The chances of diabetes pills working for you are good if you developed diabetes recently or have needed little or no insulin to keep your blood glucose levels near normal.

Remember, medicine is just part of your treatment. You also need to eat healthy, get regular physical activity, and check your blood sugar.

You May Need More Than One Medicine

Diabetes pills sometimes stop working after a few months or years. The cause is often unknown. This doesn't mean your diabetes is worse. When this happens, taking more than one type 2 diabetes medicine (combination therapy) may help.

Most people with type 2 diabetes take a combination of medicines. The longer you have type 2 diabetes, the more likely it is that you’ll need more than one medication to control your blood sugar.

Switching from one pill to another doesn’t tend to work as well as adding a second (or third) medicine, so your doctor may add a medicine to what you’re currently taking.

Some type 2 diabetes medicines are combined in one pill to make it easier for you to take them

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