Diabetes Drug Alternatives to Insulin
Diabetes Drug Alternatives to Insulin
What it is: This is another GLP-1 drug. Unlike the others, you inject it only once a week. It helps your body release more insulin and move glucose from your bloodstream into your cells.
Who can take it: Adults with type 2 diabetes who have not had success with other diabetes treatment. You can take it alone, or in combination with metformin, pioglitazone, or a sulfonylurea drug. If you're planning to get pregnant, tell your doctor, since researchers haven't studied this drug in pregnant women.
What it does: Like other GLP-1 drugs, dulaglutide prompts your pancreas to release insulin, which moves glucose out of your bloodstream and into your cells. It also limits how much of the hormone glucagon your body makes, since glucagon normally spurs your liver to release stored sugar. The drug slows digestion, too.
Side effects: The most common ones include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, belly pain, and less appetite. All GLP-1 drugs, including dulaglutide, have a boxed warning noting that in animal studies, this type of drug has been linked to thyroid cancer in some rats and mice. Experts don't know whether it has the same effect in people.
In this article
- Albiglutide (Tanzeum)
- Exenatide (Bydureon, Byetta)
- Liraglutide (Victoza)
- Pramlintide (Symlin)
- Dulaglutide (Trulicity)
Dulaglutide (Trulicity)
What it is: This is another GLP-1 drug. Unlike the others, you inject it only once a week. It helps your body release more insulin and move glucose from your bloodstream into your cells.
Who can take it: Adults with type 2 diabetes who have not had success with other diabetes treatment. You can take it alone, or in combination with metformin, pioglitazone, or a sulfonylurea drug. If you're planning to get pregnant, tell your doctor, since researchers haven't studied this drug in pregnant women.
What it does: Like other GLP-1 drugs, dulaglutide prompts your pancreas to release insulin, which moves glucose out of your bloodstream and into your cells. It also limits how much of the hormone glucagon your body makes, since glucagon normally spurs your liver to release stored sugar. The drug slows digestion, too.
Side effects: The most common ones include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, belly pain, and less appetite. All GLP-1 drugs, including dulaglutide, have a boxed warning noting that in animal studies, this type of drug has been linked to thyroid cancer in some rats and mice. Experts don't know whether it has the same effect in people.
