Oral Diabetes Medicines

If you have type 2 diabetes, your body's tissues do not get enough insulin. This results in high blood sugar levels. Some people who have type 2 diabetes don't make enough insulin. Other people make enough insulin but their bodies are not able to use it properly.

Some people who have type 2 diabetes need to take insulin in shots to help control their blood sugar levels. Most take pills by mouth (oral medicine) to help control their diabetes. Some people take insulin and oral medicines.

There are 5 types of oral diabetes medicines. Your doctor will decide which type of medicine is right for you.

Sulfonylureas help your body make more insulin. These are the most common type of oral diabetes medicine. Some examples of sulfonylureas include acetohexamide (brand name: Dymelor), chlorpropamide (brand name: Diabinese), glipizide (brand name: Glucotrol) and glyburide (brand names: DiaBeta, Glynase, Micronase).

Metformin (brand name: Glucophage) helps control blood sugar in a couple of ways. It helps your body use insulin better. It also helps your body make less sugar and reduces the amount of sugar your body absorbs from food. It almost never causes hypoglycemia (low blood sugar).

Meglitinides help your body make more insulin. Examples include nateglinide (brand name: Starlix) and repaglinide (brand name: Prandin). These pills are usually taken with meals.

Thiazolidinediones help your body use insulin better. They also help your body make less sugar. There are 2 thiazolidinediones: pioglitazone (brand name: Actos) and rosiglitazone (brand name: Avandia).

Alpha-glucosidase inhibitors help your body absorb sugar more slowly to keep your blood sugar lower. This type of medicine is taken every time you eat a meal. There are 2 alphaglucosidase inhibitors: acarbose (brand name: Precose) and miglitol (brand name: Glyset).

Sometimes two kinds of medicines are given together. For example, glyburide combined with metformin (brand name: Glucovance), glipizide combined with metformin (brand name: Metaglip) and rosiglitazone combined with metformin (brand name: Avandamet).

Like most medicines, these drugs can cause side effects. Your doctor may want to see you or want you to have tests (like liver tests) to check for problems. However, the side effects usually are not severe and are not common. Side effects of oral diabetes medicines may include the following:

Talk to your doctor about any side effects you may be having.

If you take 2 or more drugs at the same time, how the drug works can change. When this happens, the risk of side effects increases. This is called a "drug-drug interaction." Vitamins and herbal supplements can affect the way your body processes drugs too.

Drug-drug interactions can be dangerous. Be certain that your doctor knows all of the over-the-counter and prescription medicines, vitamins and herbal supplements that you are taking. Also, talk to your doctor before you take any new over-the-counter or prescription medicine or use a vitamin or herbal supplement.

Certain foods or drinks can also keep your medicine from working the way it should or make side effects worse. This is called a "drug-food interaction." For example, if you’re taking an oral diabetes medicine, drinking alcohol can increase your risk of low blood sugar.

Ask your doctor whether you need to avoid any foods or drinks while using your oral diabetes medicine. And take medicines exactly as your doctor tells you to.