Chapter: Modern Pharmacology with Clinical Applications: Insulin and Oral Drugs for Diabetes Mellitus
Oral Agents For Treating Diabetes Mellitus
ORAL AGENTS FOR TREATING
DIABETES MELLITUS
Although insulin has the
disadvantage of having to be injected, it is without question the most
uniformly ef-fective treatment of diabetes mellitus. Some milder forms of
diabetes mellitus that do not respond to diet management or weight loss and
exercise can be treated with oral hypoglycemic agents. The success of oral
hy-poglycemic drug therapy is usually based on a restora-tion of normal blood
glucose levels and the absence of glycosuria. Traditionally, the term oral hypoglycemic was used
interchangeably with sulfonylureas, but more recently the development of
several new drugs has broadened this designation to include all oral
medica-tions for diabetes. Because these drugs do not have to be injected, oral
agents enhance compliance in type II diabetics. These classes of drugs are not
generally used in type I diabetes. The pharmacokinetic profile of oral agents
for diabetes is depicted in Table 67.4.
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