Antidiabetic Medications

Antidiabetic medications consist of different classes of drugs that have various mechanisms of actions to manage a patient who has either type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) or type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). The goal of taking [Page 169]these medications is to ensure the blood sugar, also known as blood glucose, is controlled in order to prevent any organ damage or risk of cardiovascular events. Those individuals with T1DM generally have a deficiency in insulin, a hormone that is produced in the pancreas by cells in the islets of Langerhans. This hormone is responsible for decreasing blood glucose. However, individuals with T2DM have a combination of factors that influence uncontrolled blood glucose such as an insulin deficiency, insulin resistance, or hormonal irregularities. Individuals with T1DM account ...