What are the side effects of long-term medication for diabetics? 9 types of drugs, summed up in one article for you

For people with diabetes, controlling blood sugar levels and reducing acute or chronic health hazards and complications caused by hyperglycemia and blood sugar fluctuations is the focus of diabetes control. Conditioning, if the blood sugar level cannot be effectively controlled to reach the standard, it is necessary to cooperate with drugs to control the blood sugar level. In the face of various blood sugar control drugs, it is also very important to pay attention to the safety risks of long-term medication while controlling blood sugar. In terms of this, today we will share with you the following, adverse reactions and drug safety risks of various common hypoglycemic drugs.

metformin

To talk about the medication of diabetes, the classic drug metformin cannot be avoided. There are many articles about the efficacy of metformin, so we will not talk about it, mainly to talk about the risk of adverse reactions of metformin.

Metformin is a relatively safe drug. The most common adverse reaction risk is the risk of gastrointestinal discomfort during the medication, which may cause abdominal pain, bloating, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, constipation, etc. The situation varies. In general, in order to strengthen the control of the risk of adverse reactions of metformin, it is recommended to start with a low dose of metformin, and gradually increase the dose after the body gradually tolerates it. Other dosage forms such as enteric-coated tablets and sustained-release tablets are recommended. The emergence of metformin also helps reduce the risk of adverse reactions to metformin.

In addition to the adverse reactions of gastrointestinal discomfort, long-term use of metformin, it should be noted that metformin may affect the absorption of vitamin B12, causing the lack of vitamin B12 in the body and related health problems or disease problems. Therefore, long-term use of metformin Friends of metformin, you may also wish to see if you have vitamin B12 deficiency, and supplement your body with vitamin B12 by taking reasonable dietary supplements or taking drug supplements to reduce health risks.

Sulfonylurea insulin secretagogues

These drugs are also commonly used hypoglycemic agents in patients with diabetes. Improves blood sugar control by promoting insulin secretion. Glyburide, glimepiride, gliclazide, glipizide and other drugs belong to this category of drugs, some are short-acting drugs, and some are medium and long-acting drugs, specifically for blood sugar control Effects and duration of action also vary.

The most important thing to pay attention to when taking these drugs is the risk of hypoglycemia, especially some stronger short-acting sulfonylurea insulin secretagogues. risk of hypoglycemia.

In addition, long-term use of sulfonylurea drugs should also pay attention to the risk of weight gain. These drugs promote insulin secretion. Insulin can not only promote the metabolism and utilization of blood sugar, but also promote the synthesis of lipids, so there is a risk of weight gain. risk. In addition, sulfonylureas have sulfonamide groups similar to sulfonamides. During long-term use, attention should also be paid to regular monitoring of allergic reactions and renal function.

Non-sulfonylurea insulin secretagogues

This type of drug is also called glinide, repaglinide, nateglinide and other drugs belong to this category. These drugs have a short action time and can effectively promote insulin secretion and reduce the increase in postprandial blood sugar. The role of postprandial blood sugar.

When taking glinides, you should also pay attention to the risk of hypoglycemia caused by the drug, and may also cause gastrointestinal discomfort, diarrhea, abdominal pain and other symptoms.

Alpha-glucosidase inhibitors

Drugs such as acarbose, voglibose, etc., belong to this category. It is mainly used in diabetic patients with elevated postprandial blood sugar with carbohydrates as the main food. These drugs reduce postprandial blood glucose levels by inhibiting and delaying the absorption of carbohydrates in the gut.

Such drugs act directly on the intestine, and their safety is relatively high. Usually, the most common adverse reaction is the increase of intestinal gas production, which may lead to more farting and related symptoms of abdominal distension and discomfort. In addition, taking such hypoglycemic drugs may also cause adverse reactions such as elevated transaminases and skin allergies, but these are generally rare. It should also be noted that when taking such drugs, these drugs work by directly acting on the intestines, so some drugs that form a protective film in the intestines, such as montmorillonite powder, cholestyramine and other drugs, should be taken together. may affect the efficacy of such hypoglycemic drugs.

Thiazolidinediones

Drugs such as pioglitazone, rosiglitazone, etc. belong to this category. These drugs play a role in enhancing blood sugar control by increasing the body's sensitivity to insulin. From the mechanism of action, these drugs are very good hypoglycemic drugs. However, long-term use of these drugs has the risk of weight gain, as well as the risk of adverse reactions that damage liver function. During the medication period, liver function should be monitored regularly. If the transaminase rises to more than 2.5 times the upper limit, it is recommended to stop taking it.

Pioglitazone and rosiglitazone itself should also pay attention to their individual adverse reaction risks during long-term use. Clinical studies have found that pioglitazone can slightly increase the risk of bladder cancer. Therefore, for friends with bladder cancer risk or family history, The use of rosiglitazone should be avoided as much as possible; during the trial period of rosiglitazone, more attention should be paid to the cardiovascular health risks caused by it, and diabetic patients are often at high risk of cardiovascular disease. Therefore, how to choose the drug should be carefully considered. Evaluate.

dipeptidyl peptidase 4 inhibitor (DPP-4 inhibitor)

The names of such drugs generally have the word "liptin", such as sitagliptin, linagliptin, regagliptin, etc. These drugs have multiple effects by inhibiting glucagon secretion and enhancing insulin sensitivity. It is a kind of hypoglycemic drug with good efficacy and safety.

During long-term use of such drugs, the most common adverse reactions are gastrointestinal adverse reactions, such as vomiting, upper abdominal discomfort, etc. In addition, there are also reports that such drugs increase the risk of inflammatory infection, such as common There are nasopharyngitis, urinary tract infection, upper respiratory tract infection and so on. Long-term use of DPP4 inhibitors may also cause adverse reactions such as dry skin and rash, which is also worth noting. At the same time, different types of DPP4 inhibitors have different metabolism and excretion pathways. According to the actual situation, regular monitoring of liver and kidney function should also be paid attention to.

GLP-1 receptor agonists

Drugs such as liraglutide and exenatide belong to this category. These drugs bind to GLP-1 receptors that are widely distributed throughout the body to reduce blood sugar, protect islet beta cells, inhibit gastric emptying, and reduce body weight. In recent years, large-scale clinical research data have confirmed that such drugs have become the first choice drugs to replace metformin for diabetic patients with high risk of cardiovascular disease, and have clear cardio-renal protection functions.

The most common adverse reaction risk of such drugs is still gastrointestinal adverse reactions, including nausea, vomiting, constipation, diarrhea, etc., which are mostly mild to moderate, and are closely related to the dosage of the drug. can be tolerated. In addition, because these drugs are proteinogenic drugs, the body may produce antibodies during use, and in patients with antibodies, the efficacy of the drugs may decrease.

SGLT-2 inhibitors

This type of drug is also a relatively new type of diabetes treatment drugs, such as dapagliflozin, empagliflozin, canagliflozin, etc. Liejing drugs mainly reduce blood sugar by regulating the mechanism of lowering the renal glucose threshold and increasing the excretion of glucose in urine. They are hypoglycemic drugs with good effect and many physical benefits. Lowering blood pressure, lowering uric acid, improving microalbuminuria, etc., these drugs also have clear pharmacological effects and health benefits. Therefore, such drugs, like GLP-1 receptor agonists, are also an important drug type that can replace metformin as the first-choice drug.

The risk of adverse reactions of such drugs is mainly in the process of increasing urine sugar, which may cause the risk of urinary tract infection, but if it occurs, it can be corrected by taking antibiotics. In addition, during the long-term use of Liejing drugs, it should be noted that these drugs may affect the absorption and formation of calcium and phosphate. Therefore, calcium supplementation and prevention of osteoporosis should also be paid attention to. The drug has an osmotic diuretic effect. In the long-term application process, attention should also be paid to the risk of hypovolemia. At the same time, the use of this type of drug should be combined with the specific medication to evaluate the renal function. Patients with severe renal insufficiency should generally Should not be used.

insulin

Insulin preparation is the basic drug for the treatment of diabetes, and it is an important drug used by many diabetic patients to enhance the body's blood sugar control ability through exogenous insulin supplementation.

The main adverse reaction risk of insulin is hypoglycemia and blood sugar fluctuations, such as the risk of hypoglycemia caused by excessive use of insulin, or the Sumujie phenomenon of nighttime hypoglycemia caused by nighttime insulin use and increased blood sugar in the morning, etc., but if the dose is selected reasonably, the correct Insulin is used in combination with other hypoglycemic drugs reasonably. In most cases, the risk of hypoglycemia from insulin can be controlled. In addition to the risk of hypoglycemia, there is a risk of weight gain with insulin use during long-term insulin use.

Written at the end: This article introduces the adverse reaction risks and drug safety issues of 9 types of commonly used hypoglycemic drugs at present, which may not be fully covered, but I hope that by reading this article, you can get some Key information, understand the main adverse reactions and safety issues that may occur with related hypoglycemic drugs, so as to help everyone in the process of long-term use of blood sugar control, improve drug safety and reduce health risks caused by long-term drug use and hazards.