MetforminGlucophageThe usual first tablet for type 2 diabetes. It lowers the sugar the liver releases and helps the body respond to its own insulin.
Sulfonylurea
Pronounced sul-fon-il-YOO-ree-uh
Also known as Gliclazide, Glimepiride, Glibenclamide
A group of diabetes tablets that push the pancreas to release more insulin. Effective and cheap, but they can cause low blood sugar.
Gliclazide and glimepiride are the ones most often prescribed in Pakistan. They work quickly and cost little, which matters.
Practical points
- Take with the meal, not long before it
- Never double up a missed dose
- They tend to cause some weight gain
- Effectiveness often fades over years as beta cells tire
Related terms
- HypoglycaemiaLow blood sugar, HypoBlood sugar that has fallen too low, usually below 70 mg/dL. It comes on within minutes and needs sugar immediately.
- Beta cellβ-cell, Islet beta cellThe cells in the pancreas that make insulin. Diabetes develops when they are destroyed or can no longer keep up.
- InsulinInsulin hormone, Insulin injectionInsulin is the hormone made by the pancreas that moves glucose out of the blood and into cells. As a medicine it replaces or supplements what the body cannot produce, and it is given by injection because stomach acid would destroy it.