
June 21, 2001
Pills for Diabetes
Question from New Castle, Pennsylvania, USA:
My 20 year old college student son (diagnosed with type�1 diabetes and on insulin ever since) recently suffered a severe low blood sugar, and his primary care doctor prescribed Glucophage pills. I am concerned because what I know about this drug indicates it is prescribed for type 2 patients. Do you know of any people with type 1 diabetes using oral medications?
Answer:
I would be sure to check again regarding the name of the pill. Could it be that the doctor prescribed glucose pills? You are correct in that Glucophage [metformin] is indicated for the treatment of type�2 diabetes. If your son is indeed on Glucophage, I would check with the doctor to see what he intended when he prescribed the medication.
JTL