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February 2006
Insulin Isn’t Helping?There’s a new medication that works with insulin to help control your blood sugar after mealsIf you’re having trouble controlling your blood sugar with insulin, there’s a new medication that may help. It’s a synthetic form of amylin-- a natural hormone that should be secreted by your pancreas but is sometimes lacking if you have diabetes. The drug, pramlintide acetate injection (also called Symlin), can be used for people with type 1 diabetes and those with type 2 who can’t obtain good blood-sugar control with insulin alone.“Amylin prevents blood-sugar peaks after meals,” says Joseph Ottinger, clinical pharmacist at Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network. “But people who don’t produce enough insulin also tend not to produce enough amylin at mealtimes.” This new medication controls blood sugar after meals in three ways. “It allows your body to absorb the sugar from your food more slowly,” Ottinger says. “It reduces the amount of sugar that enters your bloodstream from your liver and curbs your appetite so you eat less sugar.” Although this medication shows promise, it may not suit everyone who has diabetes. If you have difficulty complying with your current insulin regimen, you may not be a good candidate. “Because your pancreas naturally secretes both amylin and insulin, you need to take this drug the same time as your insulin,” Ottinger says. “You can’t mix them in the same syringe because the effectiveness of each drug will be changed. So, you need to give yourself two separate injections.” What about side effects? Some may include nausea, vomiting, constipation, weight loss and hypoglycemia. “You need to know how hypoglycemia feels so you can treat it if it occurs,” Ottinger says. “The drug may also slow down your digestion, making you feel bloated and constipated. So, you shouldn’t take it if you have gastroparesis, or slow-gut syndrome.” Even with these cautions, Ottinger believes this new medication offers hope. “For people who can’t achieve good sugar control with insulin alone, this medication provides another option.” This page last updated 2/12/08 04:08 PM
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