Questions to Ask Your Doctor Before Taking Antidiabetic Drugs

Questions to ask your doctor

The following are questions that should be answered by a health care professional before taking antidiabetic drugs:

• Could the diabetes medication cause hypoglycemia? (Not all of them do. Metformin helps prevent high blood sugar but does not lower it.)
• When should the diabetes medication be taken?
• How much medication should be taken?
• What adjustments to the medication should be made in case of sickness?
• What adjustments to the medication should be made before exercising?

Questions to ask yourself

All the diabetes pills lower blood sugar. Talk to your doctor or nurse about which pills would work best for you. Here are a few things to think about now and some that might come up later.

Does it matter when or how often you take the medicine?
Some diabetes medicines are taken once a day. Others need to be taken more often or with meals. The Antidiabetic Drugs page lists the pills and how often they need to be taken. No matter which medicine you use, be sure to follow the directions on the bottle.

Is cost important to you?
Use the to Price Comparison of Antidiabetic Drugs page to compare the prices of different drugs. Some of the drugs are available as generics, which cost less. If prescriptions are part of your health insurance plan, check with your plan about the cost to you.

Are you worried about weight gain?
Metformin (Glucophage®) does not cause weight gain. You may want to ask your doctor or nurse if metformin (Glucophage®) would be a good choice for you.

Is your blood sugar still too high even though you are taking a diabetes pill?
Combining two or more kinds of diabetes pills can bring your sugar down more than if you are taking just one pill. Ask your doctor or nurse if adding another diabetes medicine would help.

Does Metformin (Glucophage®) give you diarrhea or gas?
Talk with your doctor or pharmacist. Combining metformin (Glucophage®) with another diabetes pill may help. People have fewer stomach problems when they take a lower dose of metformin (Glucophage®) in combination with another diabetes pill.