Diabetes Self-Management Education

METFORMIN (GLUCOPHAGE)

What does it do?

• Helps you control the amount of sugar in your body by:
  • helping your body use up the sugar you eat 
  • lowering the sugar your body makes

This may happen:

•  Stomach aches, diarrhea, gas, or cramping
•  Usually goes away after taking for about two weeks

When do you take it?

•  With your meals
•  Usually two times per day; some take it only once a day

It starts to work in about one day

It may take about one week to see full effect.

AMARYL (GLIMEPIRIDE)

GLUCOTROL (GLIPIZIDE)

DIABETA (GLYBURIDE)

What does it do?

• Helps your body make more insulin

Things to remember 

•  May bring your blood sugar down too low especially if you: 
  • skip meals/delay meal
  • eat less at meals 
  • are more active one day
• Headache, dizzy
• Gain a little weight

It starts working in about one hour & works the best in two to four hours 

It may take about one week to see the full effect

When do you take it?

• Amaryl (glimepiride): once a day with a meal
• Glucotrol (glipizide): once or twice a day with meals
• Diabeta (glyburide): once or twice a day with meals

ACTOS (PIOGLITAZONE)

AVANDIA (ROSIGLITAZONE)

What does it do? 

•  Helps insulin in your body work better in fat and muscle

Things to remember

•  Can change things with liver and need to be tested several times when taking this medication. Your doctor will help you with this. 
• Water weight gain 
  • your hands and feet may swell

When do you take it?

• Once a day
• Do not take with food  

It starts working in two to four weeks.

It may take about 12 weeks to see the full effects.

JANUVIA (SITAGLIPTIN)

ONGLYZA (SAXAGLIPTIN)

TRADJENTA (LINAGLIPTIN)

NESINA (ALOGLIPTIN)

What does it do?

• Helps your body make more insulin.

Things to remember:

• May cause diarrhea, stomach cramps, or nausea 
• Less likely to cause your sugar to go down too low
• May cause joint pain 
• May cause blisters on the skin. Notify your doctor is this occurs.

May still cause if:

• Use with other medicines that lower your blood sugar 
• Skip meals, eat less on some days, or are more active some days

PRANDIN (REPAGLINIDE)

STARLIX (NATEGLINIDE)

What does it do?

• Helps your body make more insulin

Things to remember:

• May bring your blood sugar down too low especially if you: 
  • skip meals
  • eat less at a meal
  • are more active one day 
• Headache, dizziness
• Gain a little weight

It starts working in about 15 to 30 minutes and works the best in one to two hours.

It may take about one week to see the full effect.

When do you take it? 

• Prandin: 30 minutes before breakfast, lunch, and dinner 
• Starlix: 30 minutes before breakfast, lunch, and dinner

PRECOSE (ACARBOSE)

GLYSET (MIGLITOL)

What does it do?

It lowers your blood sugar after you eat by helping your body slowly absorb sugar from your food.

This may happen:

• Stomach aches, diarrhea, and gas 
• Usually will go away after a couple of weeks
• May happen with each dose increase

Things to remember:

• If it brings your blood sugar down too low you:
  • DO NOT take regular sugar (table sugar, cookies, candies)
  • DO take a glucagon shot or a spoonful of honey.
• It starts working in about 15 to 30 minutes & works the best in one to two hours.
• It may take several weeks to get to a dose that works the best to lower your blood sugars.

When do you take it?

• Precose: at first bite of your breakfast, lunch, and dinner 
• Glyset: at first bite of your breakfast, lunch, and dinner

VICTOZA (LIRAGLUTIDE)

BYETTA (EXENATIDE)

BYDUREON (EXENATIDE)

TRULICITY (DULAGLUTIDE)

ADLYXIN (LIXISENATIDE)

OZEMPIC (SEMAGLUTIDE)

RYBELSUS (SEMAGLUTIDE)

What does it do?

• Helps your body make more insulin

It is a shot you can give yourself. One agent, Rybelsus, comes as a pill.

Things to remember:

• Diarrhea, stomach aches, nausea
• May bring your blood sugar down too low especially if you:
  • skip a meal/delay a meal
  • eat less at a meal
  • are more active one day
• Slight weight loss

When do you take it?

• Victoza: once a day
• Byetta: twice a day, 60 min prior to a meal
• Bydureon: once a week
• Trulicity: once a week
• Adlyxin: once a week
• Ozempic: once a week
• Rybelsus: once a day

INVOKANA (CANAGLIFLOZIN)

FARXIGA (DAPAGLIFLOZIN)

JARDIANCE (EMPAGLIFLOZIN)

STEGLATRO (ERTUGLIFLOZIN)

What does it do?

• Helps your body get rid of more sugar via urine.

It is important to stay hydrated.

This may happen:

• Increase peeing, urinary tract infections, yeast infections
• Increase risk of bone fractures
• Increase risk of limb amputations
• Increase risk for severe skin infections of genital and anal areas.
  Notify physician immediately if you suspect an infection in this area.

When do you take it?

• Take before the first meal of the day.

It starts working in about one to two hours.

It may take about 24 hours to see the full effects.