When we think of diabetes treatment drugs, insulin is usually the first word that springs to mind. However, many Type 2 diabetics do not need to take insulin to control their blood sugar levels, at least not in the early stages. There are a wide variety of diabetes treatment drugs available in tablet form that your doctor is likely to prescribe before you reach the stage where insulin is necessary. A few of the type 2 diabetes treatments available are discusses below, along with their potential side effects.



Some diabetes treatment drugs work by promoting insulin production in the body. One example of this type of diabetes treatment is sulphonylureas, which comes in a number of forms including glimepiride, chlorpropamide, and glibenclamide. There are a few side effects associated with sulphonylureas, the most significant being a lumpy red rash on the skin which occurs in rare cases. They can also cause nausea, weight gain and an upset stomach. Sulphonylureas are unlikely to be recommended for older diabetics as they work over a long period of time and cause blood sugar to drop too low causing a hypo.

Biguanide, otherwise known as metformin, is a diabetes treatment drug taken two to three times daily. It prevents the liver from producing new glucose, and also assists insulin in carrying glucose to the body's cells. The side effects of this treatment are mild, and include an upset stomach, nausea or diarrhoea. Side effects decrease over time, and can be limited by taking biguanide tablets with food.

A recent addition to the list of diabetes treatment drugs is thiazolidinediones, which has two types, pioglitazone and rosiglitazone. This type 2 diabetes treatment is designed to reduce the body's resistance to insulin, enabling diabetics to use their naturally produced insulin more efficiently. There are some side effects associated with thiazolidinediones which include weight gain, increased incidence of headache pain, and some water retention. On rare occasions diabetics may develop respiratory tract infections when taking thiazolidinediones.

Another diabetes treatment that can be used before insulin becomes necessary is prandial glucose regulators. This works by increasing the amount of insulin manufactured by the pancreas, and are effective over a short period, reducing the chances of experiencing a hypo due to overly low blood sugar. Prandial glucose regulators should be taken three times a day, and taking them with food should minimise the side defects such as an upset stomach and nausea. Another potential side effect of prandial glucose inhibitors is excessive weight gain, but this can be managed by altering your dosage.

An alpha glucose inhibitor, such as acarbose, is a diabetes treatment that can be taken three times a day. It slows down the rate at which starchy food is absorbed into the blood stream from the intestine, meaning that blood sugar levels rise more slowly after a meal. Your doctor is likely to prescribe a reduced dose of one tablet a day at first, because this will cut down on the side effects such as bloating, wind and diarrhoea.

Type 2 diabetics are often deficient in a hormone known as incretin, which limits the amount of glucose produced by the liver, whilst also controlling insulin production. Taking a diabetes treatment known as DPP-4 inhibitors can increase incretin levels, enabling type 2 diabetics to better control their blood sugar. This diabetes treatment should nit be used by patients taking insulin, but can be very effective when used with drugs such as thiazolidinediones. The side effects associated with DPP-4 inhibitors depend largely on which other diabetes treatment drugs they are taken with.

At some point most type 2 diabetics will find that they do need to switch to insulin to treat their condition. This is often because after many years of diabetes treatment drugs the pancreas is no longer able to produce sufficient insulin. Although the idea of insulin injections can be terrifying to some people, the needles used are actually quite small as the injection occurs just under the skin. Insulin is injected into the stomach, buttocks or thighs, and the injection sites are varied to reduce insulin build up. For those that can't face injections, the switch form diabetes treatment drugs to insulin can be eased by the use of an inhaler or insulin pump.