exenatide and meglitinide

Tight diabetes control sometimes comes with a price: weight gain and hypoglycemia. Two of the three major recent trials that looked at the relationship between intensive diabetes control and cardiovascular events reported significant weight gain among the intensively treated groups. There is a growing concern that the weight gain induced by most diabetes medications diminishes their clinical benefits. On the other hand, there is a claim that treating diabetes with medications that are weight neutral or induces weight loss or less weight gain while minimizing those that increase body weight may emerge as the future direction for treating overweight and obese patients with diabetes. This review clarifies the weight effect of each of the currently available diabetes medications, and explains the mechanism of action behind this effect. Despite the great variability among reviewed clinical trials, the currently available evidence is quite sufficient to demonstrate the change in body weight in association with most of the currently available medications. This review also provides some guidelines on using diabetes medications during weight management programs.

Topics: Abdominal Fat; Benzamides; Body Weight; Clinical Trials as Topic; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2; Dipeptidyl Peptidase 4; Dipeptidyl-Peptidase IV Inhibitors; Double-Blind Method; Exenatide; Glucagon-Like Peptide 1; Glycoside Hydrolase Inhibitors; Humans; Hypoglycemic Agents; Insulin; Metformin; Obesity; Peptides; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; Sulfonylurea Compounds; Thiazolidinediones; Venoms; Weight Gain; Weight Loss

Learn how the newest weapons in the arsenal of antihyperglycemic drugs can help your patient manage her disease.

Topics: Amyloid; Benzamides; Biguanides; Blood Glucose; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2; Drug Monitoring; Exenatide; Glycated Hemoglobin; Glycoside Hydrolase Inhibitors; Humans; Hypoglycemic Agents; Insulin; Insulin Resistance; Islet Amyloid Polypeptide; Patient Selection; Peptides; Sulfonylurea Compounds; Thiazolidinediones; Venoms