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Diabetes Pills

Many types of diabetes pills can help people with type 2 diabetes lower their blood glucose. Each type of pill helps lower blood glucose in a different way. The diabetes pill (or pills) you take is from one of these groups. You might know your pill (or pills) by a different name.

  • Sulfonylureas (SUL-fah-nil-YOO-ree-ahs) stimulate your pancreas to make more insulin.
  • Biguanides (by-GWAN-ides) decrease the amount of glucose made by your liver.
  • Alpha-glucosidase inhibitors (AL-fa gloo-KOS-ih-dayss in-HIB-it-ers) slow the absorption of the starches you eat.
  • Thiazolidinediones (THIGH-ah-ZO-li-deen-DYE-owns) make you more sensitive to insulin.
  • Meglitinides (meh-GLIT-in-ides) stimulate your pancreas to make more insulin.
  • D-phenylalanine (dee-fen-nel-AL-ah-neen) derivatives help your pancreas make more insulin quickly.
  • Combination oral medicines put together different kinds of pills.
Insulin is a protein. If you took insulin as a pill, your body would break it down and digest it before it got into your blood to lower your blood glucose.

If one type of pill alone does not control your blood glucose, then your doctor might ask you to take two kinds of pills. You may take two separate pills or one pill that combines two medicines. Each type of pill has its own way of acting to lower blood glucose. Here are pills used together:

  • a sulfonylurea and metformin
  • a sulfonylurea and acarbose
  • metformin and acarbose
  • repaglinide and metformin
  • nateglinide and metformin
  • pioglitazone and a sulfonylurea
  • pioglitazone and metformin
  • rosiglitazone and metformin
  • rosiglitazone and a sulfonylurea

Helpful Hints

If the pill does not lower your blood glucose, your doctor may

-Ask you to take more of the same pills, or

-Add a new pill or insulin, or

-Ask you to change to another pill or insulin.

Your doctor might ask you to take insulin and one of these diabetes pills:

-a sulfonylurea -metformin -pioglitazone