Many medications can help increase your body’s insulin production. These may include amylin mimetics, incretin mimetics, dipeptidyl-peptidase 4 inhibitors, sulfonylureas, linides, and more.
Insulin is a hormone released by the pancreas when you eat food, allowing sugar to move from the blood into the cells where it’s used for energy. If the cells of the body are not using insulin well or the body is unable to make enough insulin, glucose can build up in the blood.
This can lead to insulin resistance, prediabetes, and diabetes. Whether you’ve been diagnosed with a type of diabetes or your healthcare team recommends the need for improved insulin production, there are medications that can help raise the body’s insulin levels.
Numerous classes of medications can help increase insulin production in people with diabetes.
Most of these medications are effective in treating type 2 diabetes. People with this form of diabetes still have the ability to produce insulin, so they often respond better to treatment.
Some of these medications may be used along with insulin injections to manage blood glucose levels in people with type 1 diabetes, who no longer produce insulin in their bodies and must take it another way.
Amylin mimetics
Amylin mimetics are injectable drugs that mimic the hormone amylin your body naturally produces. Amylin mimetics work in your body just like amylin.
They stop your body from secreting glucagon, help you feel fuller, and slow down how quickly food leaves your stomach. These medications are used in combination with injectable insulin. They’re used when symptoms of type 1 diabetes do not improve with insulin injections alone.
An example of this type of medication is pramlintide (SymlinPen).
Incretin mimetics
People taking these medications are sometimes encouraged to also eat a more balanced diet and exercise more frequently.
Types of incretin mimetics include:
Dipeptidyl-peptidase 4 inhibitors
These drugs are often combined with other types of medications to treat people with type 2 diabetes.
Examples of DPP-4s include:
Sulfonylureas
They work by increasing the release of insulin from the pancreas to reduce blood glucose levels.
Examples of sulfonylureas include:
- glyburide
- glipizide (Glucotrol)
- glimepiride (Amaryl)
Glinides
Glinides are oral insulin-increasing drugs given to people with type 2 diabetes.
Also known as meglitinides, these medications usually take effect more quickly than other options. However, they do not last long and need to be taken multiple times per day.
They’re often prescribed alongside another medication, especially if symptoms do not improve with diet and lifestyle changes.
Examples of glinides include:
- nateglinide (Starlix)
- repaglinide (Prandin)
Managing your diabetes
There many ways to manage diabetes and help improve how insulin works in your body. Your doctor can also help discuss any blood sugar management and concerns you may have about insulin.
Everyone’s body is different, so you may respond differently to medication than others with the same type of diabetes.
Talk with your doctor about your treatment options so they can help you find medication and lifestyle modifications that work best for you.
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Feingold, KR. (2022). Oral and injectable (non-insulin) pharmacological agents for the treatment of type 2 diabetes.
Incretin mimetic drugs for type 2 diabetes. (2022).
Kasina SVSK, et al. (2022). Dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DPP IV) inhibitors.
Medication for type 2 diabetes. InformedHealth.org. (2020).