Nov. 27 – Medications And Diabetes

In keeping with the theme of National Diabetes Awareness Month, an diabetes educator has some comments on medications people may take for managing their diabetes.

Medications are an important part of controlling one’s blood sugar, but they should not replace self management skills such as healthy eating and being active.

People with diabetes take an average of 8 different medication, including medications not specifically used to manage their blood sugar; patient with diabetes should have an annual “diabetes medication check up” with a qualified pharmacist to make sure their medications are safe and effective-Clinical pharmacists or PharmD pharmacist are probably the best choice for this service.

As little as 20 years ago, we had only 3 classes of medications to manage diabetes. Now there are 11 different types or classes of medications available, each with an unique mode of action to help control blood sugars. Clinicians now have more tools to help patients, but the selection of these “tools ” is sometimes complicated. At the Apple Drugs Diabetes Center, our pharmacists/Certified Diabetes Educators work with the patient to help them and their health care provider make the most appropriate choices for controlling their blood sugar

Certain medications may cause a patient’s blood sugar to fall below the normal range and could cause low a blood sugar that could be very dangerous; check with your pharmacist or diabetes educator for advice on taking these medications