June 14, 2004
Pills for Diabetes, Type 2
Question from Tucson, Arizona, USA:
I have a fasting sugar between 120-130 mg/dl [6.7-7.2 mmol/L]. I want to get it down to 90-110 mg/dl [5.0-6.1 mmol/L]. I take metformin twice a day and Glucophage once a day. I exercise in the morning, normally. My sugar at night before bedtime has been 90 mg/dl [5.0 mmol/L]. How can I get the levels to drop to the range I want? Will more exercise help?
Answer:
Please note that Glucophage is a form of metformin. In other words, they are the same drug. I would suggest the drug dose should be adjusted to reflect the result of the hemoglobin A1c, which is the most important overall number for therapy. Clearly, having a lower number on an everyday basis will get the A1c down. Increasing the dose may help. However, if the A1c is good, it may not be as big a deal. Exercise and maintenance of appropriate weight are still important issues.
JTL
