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Value of Metformin, Insulin Combo for Type 2 Diabetes Questioned
Posted 19 Apr 2012 by Drugs.com
THURSDAY, April 19 – It's not clear whether patients with type 2 diabetes gain any long-term benefit from taking the blood sugar-lowering drug metformin and insulin together rather than insulin alone. That's the conclusion of Danish researchers who reviewed data from 23 clinical trials involving more than 2,200 patients over the age of 18. Reporting online April 19 in the BMJ, they found that taking metformin plus insulin leads to better blood sugar control, less weight gain and less need for insulin. However, the researchers also noted that the clinical trials provided little information about long-term patient outcomes, such as the total numbers of deaths and deaths from cardiovascular disease. This means that more clinical trials are needed to determine the long-term benefits and harms of the combination, specifically the risks of premature death. The researchers, led by Bianca ... Read more
Related support groups: Diabetes, Type 2, Metformin, Insulin, Lantus, Glucophage, Humalog, Novolog, Lantus Solostar, Levemir, Novolin R, Lantus Solostar Pen, Novolin N, Humulin R, Glucophage XR, Humulin N
Prescription Meds Can Put on Unwanted Pounds
Posted 2 Mar 2012 by Drugs.com
FRIDAY, March 2 – Medications taken by millions of Americans for mood disorders, high blood pressure, diabetes and other chronic conditions can have an unhealthy side effect: weight gain. While other choices exist for some types of drugs, adjusting medications is not simply a matter of switching, said Ryan Roux, chief pharmacy officer with the Harris County Hospital District, in Houston. In the late 1990s, Dr. Lawrence Cheskin conducted early research on prescription medicines and obesity. "Some medicines make an early, noticeable difference, causing patients to become ravenously hungry, while changes are subtle for others. A few months taking them and you've gained 10 pounds," said Cheskin, now director of the Johns Hopkins Weight Management Center, in Baltimore. To help increase awareness, Roux and his pharmacist group have compiled a list of "weight-promoting" and "weight-neutral or ... Read more
Related support groups: Bipolar Disorder, High Blood Pressure, Zoloft, Diabetes, Type 2, Wellbutrin, Seroquel, Prednisone, Prozac, Hypertension, Metformin, Paxil, Gabapentin, Lamictal, Sprintec, Mirena
Health Tip: Store Insulin Properly
Posted 20 Jan 2012 by Drugs.com
-- Insulin is a lifesaver for many people with diabetes, but it must be stored correctly. The American Diabetes Association offers these guidelines for proper storage of insulin: Insulin typically is stored in the refrigerator, but it may be more painful when injected this way. Insulin stored at room temperature will last about a month. Don't keep your insulin in extremely hot or extremely cold temperatures. Never keep insulin in the car, in direct sunlight or in the freezer. Check the bottle's expiration date, and discard any insulin that's expired. Inspect the bottle before inserting the syringe to make sure the insulin looks as it should. Don't use insulin that has formed any crystals or clumps. Read more
Related support groups: Insulin, Lantus, Diabetes, Type 1, Humalog, Novolog, Lantus Solostar, Levemir, Novolin R, Lantus Solostar Pen, Humulin R, Novolin N, Humulin N, NovoLog FlexPen, Humalog KwikPen, Insulin Regular
CDC Warns Against Sharing Insulin Pens
Posted 13 Jan 2012 by Drugs.com
FRIDAY, Jan. 13 – Due to a growing number of reports about improper use of insulin pens, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued a reminder that the devices must never be used on more than one person. Using insulin pens on more than one person puts people at risk for infection with blood-borne pathogens such as hepatitis viruses and HIV, which causes AIDS, the agency warns. Infection can occur even if an insulin pen's needle is changed. Insulin pens are injector devices that contain a reservoir for insulin or an insulin cartridge. They're designed to enable patients to self-inject insulin and are intended for single-person use. Reports of improper use of insulin pens in hospitals led the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2009 to issue an alert for health care professionals to remind them that insulin pens are for use on a single patient only. Despite the ... Read more
Related support groups: Insulin, Lantus, Diabetes, Type 1, Humalog, Novolog, Lantus Solostar, Levemir, Novolin R, Lantus Solostar Pen, Humulin R, Novolin N, Humulin N, NovoLog FlexPen, Humalog KwikPen, Insulin Regular
Four Common Meds Send Thousands of Seniors to Hospital: CDC
Posted 23 Nov 2011 by Drugs.com
WEDNESDAY, Nov. 23 – An estimated 100,000 older Americans are hospitalized for adverse drug reactions yearly, and most of those emergencies stem from four common medications, a new study finds. The four types of medication – two for diabetes and two blood-thinning agents – account for two-thirds of those drug-related emergency hospitalizations. "Of the thousands of medications available to older patients, a small group of blood thinners and diabetes medications caused a high proportion of emergency hospitalizations for adverse drug events among elderly Americans," said lead study author Dr. Daniel Budnitz, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's medication safety program. Medications previously designated "high-risk" were implicated in only 1.2 percent of hospitalizations, the study found. Working with a nationally representative database, CDC researchers ... Read more
Related support groups: Metformin, Aspirin, Coumadin, Plavix, Warfarin, Insulin, Lantus, Januvia, Glucophage, Actos, Glyburide, Humalog, Glipizide, Janumet, Novolog
Insulin Spray May Improve Alzheimer's Symptoms
Posted 12 Sep 2011 by Drugs.com
MONDAY, Sept. 12 – A nasal insulin spray may someday help people with mild memory problems or early Alzheimer's disease improve or preserve their mental functioning, a new small study suggests. But, the study authors added, much more research is needed to see if the therapy will actually benefit patients. Alzheimer's disease, the most common form of dementia in the elderly, initially causes difficulty with thought, memory and language, and insulin dysfunction is thought to play a role in symptoms. "Although a small study, the authors provide some of the most convincing evidence to date that insulin treatment may alleviate symptoms of Alzheimer's disease," said Dr. James E. Galvin, professor of neurology and psychiatry and director of the Pearl S. Barlow Center for Memory Evaluation and Treatment at NYU Langone Medical Center. Previous studies have suggested a link between obesity, type ... Read more
Related support groups: Insulin, Lantus, Alzheimer's Disease, Humalog, Novolog, Lantus Solostar, Levemir, Novolin R, Lantus Solostar Pen, Humulin R, Novolin N, Humulin N, Mild Cognitive Impairment, NovoLog FlexPen, Humalog KwikPen
Flying With Needles and Meds Can Raise Security Flags
Posted 22 Apr 2010 by Drugs.com
THURSDAY, April 22 – Adjusting to the necessary, but seemingly ever-changing security rules when traveling can be tough for anyone, but for someone traveling with a bagful of needles and vials of insulin or someone who's had a hip or knee replaced, the journey can be fraught with extra worry. But Ann Davis, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA), the agency responsible for ensuring the safety of the U.S. skies, says that travelers with chronic conditions need not be concerned. Davis said that TSA officers are well-trained and familiar with the odd baggage or screening requirements that may come with certain medical conditions. What's most important, she noted, is that you let the screeners know what medical condition you have. "We have screening procedures to make sure that everything and everyone is screened properly," Davis said. For example, she ... Read more
Related support groups: Insulin, Lantus, Humalog, Novolog, Lantus Solostar, Levemir, Novolin R, Lantus Solostar Pen, Humulin R, Novolin N, Humulin N, NovoLog FlexPen, Humalog KwikPen, NovoLog Mix 70/30, Novolin 70/30
New Inhaled Insulin Shows Promise for Diabetes
Posted 23 Mar 2010 by Drugs.com
TUESDAY, March 23 – A new form of inhaled insulin appears to help people with diabetes who must use insulin, with fewer potential risks than an earlier form of inhaled insulin that is no longer on the market. The new drug, Afrezza, which is awaiting approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, works faster, keeps blood sugar levels at a closer to normal level and has less risk of causing low blood sugar levels (hypoglycemia) than currently available injectable insulins, researchers say. It also appears to have less risk of causing lung problems than its inhaled predecessor, Exubera. "Afrezza is an ultra-rapid-acting insulin, and clinical studies have shown us that it has the potential to change diabetes therapy, because in the body, Afrezza looks like the insulin that's normally in a person's body," said Andrea Leone-Bay, vice president of pharmaceutical development for ... Read more
Related support groups: Diabetes, Type 2, Insulin, Diabetes, Type 1, Diabetes Mellitus, Insulin Regular, Insulin Lispro, Insulin Lispro Protamine, Insulin Lispro/Insulin Lispro Protamine, Insulin Isophane/Insulin Regular, Insulin Aspart, Insulin Detemir, Insulin Glulisine, Insulin Zinc Extended, Insulin Isophane, Insulin Aspart Protamine
More Info Needed on Problems With Insulin Pumps
Posted 5 Mar 2010 by Drugs.com
FRIDAY, March 5 – The makers of insulin pumps used to treat diabetes should try to supply more information to U.S. officials when filing reports about potential problems with the devices, an advisory panel to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Friday. Makers of medical devices are required to report when a device malfunctions or may have contributed to the death or serious injury of a patient. The FDA said it has seen a sharp rise in the number of "adverse events" related to insulin pumps, which have become increasingly popular in recent years, the Dow Jones news wire reported. The panel of outside medical advisors met to discuss the increase in problems and whether anything could be done to minimize potential risks to patients. Panel members said more information is needed in adverse-event reports to help the FDA gauge if an insulin pump contributed to a patient's problem, the ... Read more
Related support groups: Insulin, Lantus, Diabetes, Type 1, Humalog, Novolog, Lantus Solostar, Levemir, Novolin R, Lantus Solostar Pen, Humulin R, Novolin N, Humulin N, NovoLog FlexPen, Humalog KwikPen, Insulin Regular
Diabetes Medications Don't Lower Inflammation
Posted 2 Feb 2010 by Drugs.com
TUESDAY, Sept. 15 – In people with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes, the glucose-lowering medications metformin and insulin don't appear to reduce the inflammation associated with heart disease, new research suggests. Even though these medications helped reduce glucose levels, the researchers found they didn't affect inflammatory markers any more than a placebo drug did, according to a study published in the Sept. 16 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. "Heart disease is one of the many co-morbidities associated with diabetes," explained study author Dr. Aruna Pradhan, an assistant professor at the Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, and a cardiologist at the VA Boston Medical Center. "We thought by lowering glucose levels that we would also address inflammation. But, we found that going lower in glucose levels doesn't impact ... Read more
Related support groups: Diabetes, Type 2, Metformin, Insulin, Lantus, Glucophage, Humalog, Novolog, Lantus Solostar, Levemir, Novolin R, Lantus Solostar Pen, Novolin N, Humulin R, Glucophage XR, Humulin N
Skipping Insulin May Not Be Uncommon
Posted 26 Jan 2010 by Drugs.com
TUESDAY, Jan. 26 – More than half of the people who need to take insulin to control their diabetes skip an injection now and then, a new study reports. The researchers found that people with diabetes forgo their insulin injections for a number of reasons, including pain and embarrassment, and that their reasons vary depending on the type of diabetes they have. "More and more people will be taking insulin, and it's really important that they learn to manage this powerful medication effectively," said the study's lead author, Mark Peyrot, a professor of sociology at Loyola University Maryland and an assistant professor at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, both in Baltimore. About one-fourth of the people who have diabetes – either type 1 or type 2 – take insulin, according to the study, which is published in the February issue of Diabetes Care. Insulin is a hormone that ... Read more
Related support groups: Insulin, Lantus, Diabetes, Type 1, Humalog, Novolog, Lantus Solostar, Levemir, Novolin R, Lantus Solostar Pen, Humulin R, Novolin N, Humulin N, NovoLog FlexPen, Humalog KwikPen, Insulin Regular
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Related Condition Support Groups
Gestational Diabetes, Diabetes, Type 1, Insulin Resistance, Hyperkalemia, Diabetic Ketoacidosis (DKA), Diabetes, Type 2, Nonketotic Hyperosmolar Syndrome, Growth Hormone Reserve Test
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Novolin R, Humulin R, Novolin R Innolet, Novolin R PenFill, Humulin R (Concentrated), Iletin II Regular Pork, Iletin Regular, ReliOn/Novolin R, Velosulin BR