My boyfriend, diagnosed with type 2 diabetes two months ago, has been taking Prandin and has modified his diet with success. He also has allergies and takes Zyrtec, and I am wondering if these medications can be safely taken together. He has asthma, and sometimes uses an inhaler, but I don’t know what medication that is. He has said that his asthma has improved since he has changed his diet. Is there a reason for that? Can he use the asthma inhaler and take Zyrtec and Prandin?.

I used a computer program to search for potential known drug interactions between the Prandin (repaglinide) and the Zyrtec, and no interactions were found. However, I cannot comment about the inhaler that you cannot identify. Some inhalers that have medications related to epinephrine (albuterol, salmeterol and others) can lead to a mild increase in blood sugar. Other inhalers contain steroids which can lead to somewhat higher glucose levels too.

Since allergies/asthma are multifactorial (meaning that multiple factors contribute) and have many “triggers”, I suppose it does not surprise me that with a change in dietary habits one might find an improvement in asthma symptoms. This suggests that something he previously ate more of was an irritant for his asthma.

DS