"How about this one?"
We’ve never had so many pharmaceutical options for treating diabetes—11 different classes at last count. Many classes have more than one drug. All classes available in the U.S. are listed on this page. Click on the class you’re interested in for a brief review.
Be aware that drugs have both generic and brand names. For instance, metformin—the generic name—is sold under the brand name of Glucophage, among others. Complicating matters further is that generic and brand names vary from one country to the next. I live in the U.S., so U.S. names are the ones I use. I will always capitalize a brand name drug, but start generic names with lower case letters unless it’s the first word of a sentence.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is charged with approving drug as safe and effective, and monitoring ongoing safety once a drug is on the market. Doctors commonly prescribe drugs for purposes not approved by the FDA. However, for the purposes of this page, I’ve restricted my comments to FDA-approved uses.
I strive to be as accurate as possible in sharing drug information with you, but I cannot guarantee accuracy. Anything I write today could be outdated tomorrow. Talk to your personal physician, pharmacist, or other qualified professional for detailed, up-to-date drug information. Please contact me by e-mail if you find any mistakes.
Drugs for Type 1 Diabetes
Pramlintide: Symlin
Drugs for Type 2 Diabetes
Metformin: Glucophage, others
Sulfonylureas: glipizide, glyburide, glimiperide, others
Thiazolidinediones: rosiglitazone (Avandia), pioglitazone (Actos)
Dipeptidyl-peptidase -4 Inhibitors: sitagliptin (Januvia), saxagliptin (Onglyza), linagliptin (Tradjenta), vildagliptin
GLP-1 Analogues: exenatide (Byetta, Bydureon), liraglutide (Victoza)
Alpha-glucosidase Inhibitors: acarbose (Precose), miglitol (Glyset)
Meglitinides: repaglinide (Prandin), nateglinide (Starlix)
Pramlintide: Symlin
Colesevelam: WelChol
Dopamine Receptor Agonist: bromocriptine (Cycloset)
Injectable Drugs for Diabetes
Pramlintide: Symlin
GLP-1 Analogues: exenatide (Byetta, Bydureon), liraglutide (Victoza)
Oral Drugs (taken by mouth) for Diabetes
Metformin: Glucophage, others
Sulfonylureas: glipizide, glyburide, glimiperide, others
Thiazolidinediones: rosiglitazone (Avandia), pioglitazone (Actos)
Dipeptidyl-peptidase-4 Inhibitors: sitagliptin (Januvia), saxagliptin (Onglyza), linagliptin (Tradjenta), vildagliptin
Alpha-glucosidase Inhibitors: acarbose (Precose), miglitol (Glyset)
Meglitinides: repaglinide (Prandin), nateglinide (Starlix)
Colesevelam: WelChol
Dopamine Receptor Agonist: bromocriptine (Cycloset)
Last modification date: February 2, 2012
