
June 12, 2004
Pills for Diabetes, Type 2
Question from Trumbull, Connecticut, USA:
I’ve had type 2 diabetes since December 2003. I take one dose of Glucovance daily. I am concerned that my two hour post-prandial blood sugars are often as high as 215 mg/dl [11.9 mmol/L], dropping to 175 mg/dl [9.7 mmol/L] 20 minutes after that. I was told this drop was the Glucovance kicking in. Is this possible? Is it common for blood sugars to drop that quickly?
Answer:
Glucovance is a combination of Glucophage and glyburide. The glyburide component helps to lower glucoses by increasing insulin secretion from the pancreas. It can start to have effects anywhere from two to three hours, which is in the time period you indicate. The drop is possible. However, the concern is that your glucoses are still above the acceptable range post-prandially.
ABS