Doctors may treat diabetes type 2 with a variety of drugs, but type 1 diabetes generally only responds to insulin. These most common forms of diabetes exist because an imbalance occurs in a person's body between glucose sugar and insulin, the National Institutes of Health report. In type 1 diabetes, the pancreas produces no insulin or very little, while in type 2 the body's insulin may not be fully affective to regulate the blood sugar levels. Both forms of the disease can cause serious health problems if left untreated.
Insulin
The pancreas normally produces the hormone called insulin, but when it cannot produce enough or any insulin to effectively use glucose, doctors must supplement it with injections of natural or synthetic versions of it. Although diabetes type 1 requires insulin injections, type 2 usually does not, unless the condition becomes severe.
Metformin
Doctors generally prescribe metformin when diabetes type 2 first shows itself in blood tests. This medication works by helping body cells use the glucose transported in the blood and ingested through food.
The Mayo Clinic reports that metformin may become ineffective if the disease gets worse, so another medication, a sulfonylurea, may supplement it. If various combinations of common diabetes medicines do not fully regulate blood sugar levels, the doctor may require insulin injections.
Rosiglitazone
Classified as a thiazolidinedione anti-diabetic medication, doctors may prescribe rosiglitazone by itself or with metformin to treat diabetes, Drugs.com states. The medicine functions by allowing body cells to be more receptive to insulin's actions, so it helps the body to use glucose more effectively.
Glyburide
The sulfonylurea medication glyburide also may help control diabetes type 2 by forcing the pancreas to increase the output levels of insulin, the Mayo Clinic reports. Physicians may use a combination medicine that contains both glyburide and metformin, which the American Academy of Family Physicians states may give better control over the glucose and insulin balance than either medicine alone.
Pioglitazone
Pioglitazone, like all diabetic medications, may be prescribed along with a change in the person's diet and a regime of exercise. Pioglitazone also may treat diabetes alone or with a sulfonylurea or metformin, the Mayo Clinic states.
Repaglinide
Repaglinide works in a similar manner to glyburide in that it stimulates the pancreas to infuse more insulin into the person's blood to balance glucose levels. This drug also may work alone or with metformin.
Glipizide
Another sulfonylurea drug, glipizide also induces more insulin production from the pancreas. Doctors may prescribe it by itself or in a combination with metformin for better blood sugar control.
