Dangers of Diabetic Medications

ARE DIABETIC MEDICATIONS KILLING OFF OUR DIABETICS? Seems kind of an odd question, huh? I mean, after all, doesn’t the Hippocratic Oath state that first and foremost we should do no harm?  So why does it always seem that many medications actually increase the risk of the diseases we are trying to ameliorate?  It’s been known for some time that the sulphonylurea class of drugs (i.e. glipizide / Glucotrol) actually damages the beta cells of the pancreas, increasing the risk for insulin dependence.  There’s also been heated debate about pulling Avandia (another class of diabetic drugs called the thiazolidinediones) off the market because of the greatly increased risk of cardiovascular disease.  It currently has a block box warning. This particular study found no increased risk with the combination of a sulphonylurea with metformin on heart disease when compared to other standard diabetic approaches.  So basically, it’s ok because they ALL increase the risk of heart disease.  Looking deeper into the study, though, researchers found that there was ONE exception.  You guessed it–the combination that included dietary changes!!