Table 6.
Salient Features of Drugs for T2DM
| Drug | HbA1c reduction | Hypoglycemia | Weight change | Dosing/day | Contraindications/caveat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Metformin | ∼1–2% | No | Neutral | 2 | Renal disease |
| Sulfonylureas | ∼1–2% | Yes | Gain | 1–2 | Renal/liver dosing |
| Repaglinide | ∼1.0% | Yes | Gain | 3 | None |
| Nateglinide | <1.0% | Yes | Gain | 3 | None |
| TZDs | 1.0–1.5% | No | Gain | 1–2 | CHF |
| GLP-1 agonists | ∼1.0% | No | Loss | 1–2 injections | Renal dosing (exenatide) |
| DPP-4 inhibitors | ∼0.8–1.0% | No | Neutral | 1 | Renal dosing |
| Pramlintide | 0.5–1.0% | No | Loss | 3 injections | Gastroparesis |
| AGIs | ∼0.5–0.7% | No | Loss | 3 | Tolerability |
| BAS | ∼0.5–0.7% | No | Neutral | 1–2 | TG >500 mg/dL |
| Insulin | 1–3% | Yes | Gain | 1–4 injections | None |
T2DM, type 2 diabetes mellitus; HbA1c, glycosylated hemoglobin; TZDs, thiazolidinediones; CHF, congestive heart failure; GLP-1, glucagon-like peptide-1; DPP-4, dipeptidyl peptidase-4; AGIs, alpha-glucosidase inhibitors; BAS, bile acid sequestrants; TG, triglycerides.