| My Account | Subscribe | Contact Us | Donate |
Home
-
Diabetes and Adoption
Rachel and her husband chose to adopt a baby instead of meeting the challenges of handling a high risk pregnancy and Rachel’s type 1 diabetes at the same time. She shares their thought process and ultimate happy ending about the decision to bring a child into their lives.
-
Chris Matthews Makes Time for Diabetes
Hosting Hardball on MSNBC and The Chris Matthews Show keep Chris Matthews working long hours. But Matthews got a lesson in priorities and made some life changes when he was diagnosed with type 2.
-
A Chihuahua with Diabetes
Olivia and her dog both have diabetes and today they comfort and encourage each other through the rigors of dealing with the disease. Plus, find out what it means when your domestic pet is diagnosed with diabetes.
-
Smoking and Diabetes
Smoking has severe effects on your diabetes and your health. Learn why diabetes and smoking are an especially bad combination and get some tips from the experts on how to quit.
-
Continuous Glucose Monitors
CGM is a relatively new technology, but the information it provides is invaluable. Find out what CGM offers and whether it could help you.
The must-have resource for physicians, educators and medical professionals who focus on the treatment of diabetes.
Finally! A fresh take on the “professional” journal. Each bi-monthly issue cuts through the jargon and presents the most important information you need to enhance your practice and assist your patients.
Each bi-monthly issue of Diabetes Health Professional is a self-contained handbook covering products, educational resources and the latest diabetes research, complimented by balanced editorial focused on medical news, drug prescription information, clinical practice recommendations and changing treatment options.
Each quarter we send you the latest, most updated research guides, product guides and educational resource guides available for you and your patients.
Each week the Diabetes Health E-Newsletter delivers links to the very latest in news, reviews, blogs and videos from Diabetes Health direct to your inbox.
As a subscriber you'll get access to the amazing Diabetes Health Digital Advantage™ so you can read the current issue of Diabetes Health magazine online wherever you are!
Latest Type 2 Medications Articles
Metformin Is Still Tops for Diabetes, Says Study Review
Aug 8, 2007
That old standby, metformin, is still your best bet. In fact, there is no benefit in taking the newer oral medications unless you can't tolerate the older ones.
That was the conclusion of researchers from Johns Hopkins University who examined 216 controlled studies and two systematic reviews in order to compare older oral medicines (second-generation sulfonylureas and metformin) and newer medications (thiazolidinediones, meglitinides, and alpha-glucosidase inhibitors) with regard to medium-term effects on A1c levels, lipid levels, body weight, and adverse outcomes.
Overall, the researchers found metformin to have the best benefit to risk ratio. Metformin was similar to or even better than the other oral medicines with regard to blood sugar control and lipid levels, though it was associated with greater risk of gastrointestinal problems.
In addition, it did not cause the 2.2 to eleven pound weight gain associated with almost all the other medicines. Second-generation sulfonylureas did pretty well too, apart from a greater risk of hypoglycemia.
Compared with newer agents, both metformin and sulfonylureas had three distinct advantages: longer use in practice, more information about longer-term effects, and lower cost. Metformin is available generically for about $40 monthly, for example, while Avandia can cost over $250 monthly.
Thiazolidinediones (like Actos and Avandia) were found to have a lower risk for hypoglycemia and a small beneficial effect on healthy cholesterol (HDL) levels, but were no better at lowering blood glucose and were also associated with adverse effects on bad cholesterol (LDL), weight, and risk of congestive heart failure.
(The researchers noted that large, longer-term comparative studies are still needed on outcomes such as myocardial infarction, chronic kidney disease, and cardiovascular mortality, as this review focused only on medium-term effects.)
The study review, which was commissioned in May 2005 by the federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, has been used by Consumer Reports as the basis for its "best buy" evaluations of oral diabetes medications. In sum, Consumer Reports concluded that newer drugs are no better, no safer, and certainly more expensive.
Sources: Annals of Internal Medicine, September 2007
Medline Plus
Categories: Low Blood Sugar (Hypoglycemia), Metformin, Type 2 Issues, Type 2 Medications
Facebook
MySpace 
Digg
Email to a Friend
Send a link to this page to your friends and colleagues.