Side effects of insulin and oral antidiabetics

There are several types of drugs to treat diabetes, which act in different ways, such as Insulin, Metformin, Glibenclamide and Liraglutide. However, these remedies can cause side effects such as weight gain or loss, nausea, diarrhea and hypoglycemia, being more common at the beginning of treatment.

Although there are these possible side effects, medicines to treat diabetes are essential, as they help to control blood sugar, reducing the risk of complications such as kidney failure, skin ulcers and blindness. Therefore, if any side effect appears, treatment should not be stopped and it is essential to consult the endocrinologist or family doctor to change the treatment and adjust the doses, if necessary.

It is important to remember that, for the correct treatment of any type of diabetes, be it type 1, 2 or gestational, it is essential to eat a low sugar diet and exercise daily, in addition to the use of medicines or the application of insulin according to the recommendations of the doctor. Better understand how treatment is done for each type of diabetes.

Side effects of insulin

The main side effect of any type of insulin is hypoglycemia, which is an excessive reduction in glucose. This change causes symptoms such as tremors, dizziness, weakness, sweating and nervousness, and is very dangerous, because if it is not corrected quickly, it can cause fainting and even coma. Learn to recognize the symptoms of hypoglycemia.

• What to do: when hypoglycemia is suspected, you should eat some food that is easy and swallow and that contains sugar, such as fruit juice, a glass of water with 1 spoon of sugar or a candy, for example. If symptoms do not improve, it is important to go to the emergency room.

Hypoglycemia usually happens when there is some deregulation of the treatment, which can be changes in the diet that the person was used to, having been without eating for a long time, using alcoholic beverages or exercising or experiencing intense stress.

So, in order to avoid this side effect and keep glucose levels constant, it is essential to eat several small meals throughout the day, instead of eating a lot and a few times, preferably with a diet guided by a nutritionist. If hypoglycemia is repetitive, it is important to consult with your doctor to adjust insulin doses and avoid this type of complication.

In addition, it is important to know how to apply insulin correctly to prevent constant injections causing damage to the skin or adipose tissue, an alteration called insulin lipohypertrophy. See how it is step by step to apply insulin correctly.

Side effects of oral antidiabetics

There are several oral antidiabetics, in the form of pills, to control type 2 diabetes, which can be taken alone or together with others.

Each class of hypoglycemic drugs acts differently in the body, and can cause different types of side effects, which vary with the type of medication, the dose and the sensitivity of each person. The main ones are:

1. Nausea and diarrhea

This is the main side effect of diabetes drugs, and is very much felt by people who use Metformin. Other drugs that also cause this gastrointestinal change can be Exenatide, Liraglutide or Acarbose.

What to do: you should consult your doctor to try to make adjustments that reduce the risk of these effects, such as taking medication after eating or preferring long-acting drugs, such as Metformin XR, for example. If symptoms persist, it may be necessary to change the type of medication with medical advice. Eating small meals several times a day will also help to control this type of symptom. While waiting for the doctor's appointment, you can have a ginger tea to control the feeling of nausea and vomiting.

2. Hypoglycemia

The risk of very low sugar is higher in drugs that stimulate the secretion of insulin by the pancreas, such as Glibenclamide, Glimepiride, Gliclazide, Repaglinide and Nateglinide, for example, or that use insulin injections.

What to do: never fast or eat for too long while using the medication, in addition to following a balanced diet divided into several small meals a day, avoiding more than 3 hours without eating. When you experience the first symptoms or identify someone with signs of hypoglycemia, you should sit down and offer foods rich in sugar or easily digestible carbohydrates, such as 1 glass of fruit juice, half a glass of water with 1 tablespoon of sugar or 1 sweet bread, for example. Consult with the doctor to assess whether there is a need for dose adjustment or modification of the medicine.

3. Excess gases

This type of symptom is felt by people who use drugs that work by reducing the absorption of glucose in the intestine, such as Acarbose and Miglitol, also being a complaint of people who use Metformin.

What to do: it is advised to avoid foods with an excess of sugars, such as sweets, cakes and breads, or that produce many gases, such as beans, cabbage and eggs, for example, in addition to having a diet rich in fiber. Check out more gas-causing foods in this video:

4. Put on weight

This side effect is common with the use of insulin or the drugs that increase the amount of insulin in the body, such as Glibenclamide, Glimepiride, Gliclazide, Repaglinide and Nateglinide, or with those that cause fluid accumulation and swelling, such as Pioglitazone and Rosiglitazone.

What to do: you must maintain a balanced diet, with few carbohydrates, fat and salt, in addition to practicing physical activity daily. The most suitable exercises are those that burn more calories, such as strong walking, running or weight training. Find out which are the best weight loss exercises.

5. Lack of appetite

This type of symptom can happen with the use of several medications, such as Metformin, but it is more intense in people who use Exenatide or Liraglutida, also known as Victoza. For this reason, it is common to lose weight with the use of these types of remedies.

What to do: maintain a balanced diet, while eating meals at scheduled times, divided into small meals, several times a day. Check out some home remedies to combat a lack of appetite.

6. Urinary infection

The increased risk of urinary tract infection occurs in a class of diabetes drugs that increases the elimination of glucose from the urine, such as Dapagliflozin, Empagliflozin, Canagliflozin. In that case there is pain or burning sensation when urinating and the smell of strong urine.

What to do: drink plenty of fluids throughout the day, avoid foods with excess sugar, and take the antibiotic indicated by the doctor. If this change is persistent, talk to the doctor to assess the need to change the medication to control diabetes.

It is common for people with diabetes to need to use more than one type of medication, therefore, in these cases, care must be taken to avoid side effects, paying attention to the correct dose, the recommended time, in addition to always maintaining balanced meals. See what the diet should look like for those with diabetes in this video: