But rather than insisting that you avoid these medications, it's more likely your doctor will want to adjust your insulin dosage for the period you take them. Typically a negative drug interaction either decreases or increases insulin's effects, posing the risk of high or low blood glucose. But the researchers also cautioned against drawing conclusions: The trials in the review wĪt last count, there are more than 700 medications that potentially interact with insulin with varying degrees of significance. The new analysis found no obvious winners. What's been unclear is whether any of those drugs work better than others in warding off diabetes complications and extending people's lives.
There are numerous classes of medications that lower blood sugar levels. Over time, that can lead to complications, such as heart disease, stroke, kidney failure and nerve damage, the CDC says. The disease, which is often linked to obesity, causes blood sugar levels to be chronically high. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. More than 29 million Americans have diabetes - mostly type 2, according to the U.S.
And people with kidney disease generally shouldn't take it, he said. Metformin can cause upset stomach and diarrhea, so some patients are unable to stick with it day to day, explained Pantalone, who wasn't involved in the study. "Metformin, in the absence of contraindications or intolerability, should be the first-line agent to treat patients with type 2 diabetes," he said. Kevin Pantalone, a diabetes specialist at the Cleveland Clinic and a member of the Endocrine Society. "There are very few things experts agree on, but this is one of them," said Dr. Researchers said the results bolster current recommendations to first try an older, cheaper drug - metformin (Glumetza, Glucophage) - for most patients with type 2 diabetes.
The analysis of hundreds of clinical trials found no evidence that any one diabetes drug, or drug combination, beats out the others. HealthDay Reporter TUESDAY, J(HealthDay News) - No single drug to treat type 2 diabetes stands out from the pack when it comes to reducing the risks of heart disease, stroke or premature death, a new research review finds.