There are many classes of drugs for lowering blood sugar in type 2 diabetes. All have different modes of action and different indications.

We recense :

– Drugs that stimulate the action of insulin including metformin (and glitazones, now banned in France and under close surveillance in Quebec)

– Medicines to increase insulin secretion (glinides, sulphonylureas)

– Medicines that inhibit molecules called alphaglucosidases (acarbose and miglitol)

– Incretinomimetics, newer drugs

– And finally, in some cases, insulin injections

Having trouble finding your way? Rest assured, even doctors are a little confused, there are so many drugs and brands available. The treatment recommendations, published in France by the Haute Autorité de Santé, in Quebec by Health Canada, in Europe and around the world by various learned societies, summarize, for doctors, the procedure to follow in the face of type 2 diabetes. It is useful to know these recommendations in outline in order to be able to take part in your treatment and follow the evolution of your diabetes by understanding what is happening …

Diabetes mellitus

Have you just been diagnosed? The doctor will ask you to follow certain “hygieno-dietetic” measures which can help lower blood sugar levels, allowing weight loss and better nutrition. In the majority of cases, it will still be necessary to follow a treatment with metformin, in the form of tablets or powder.

Escalation of treatment

Diabetes continues to evolve throughout life. Treatments that are effective at first may become insufficient after a few years or even months. It is then necessary to vary or increase the drugs. If metformin is not sufficient to lower blood sugar levels satisfactorily, a second treatment will be associated with it (your choice among the various options). We will then speak of “dual therapy”. Several brands offer drugs that combine two molecules in a single tablet, which helps limit the number of pills to swallow.

If dual therapy fails… Make way for triple therapy! This uses metformin and two other drugs. If triple therapy is not enough, it will be necessary to switch to insulin injections, as in the treatment of type 1 diabetes.