Lecture 19 - Pharmacy care in Diabetes & Thyroid Disorders Flashcards
What is clinical management for?
To alleviate acute symptoms and prevent or limit the morbidity and mortality and its long term conditions
What drugs sensitise the body to insulin?
metformin and thiazolidinediones
What drugs stimulate the pancreas to produce more insulin?
sulphonylureas
meglitinides
GLP-1 agonists
DPP4 inhibitors
What drugs limit reabsorption of glucose from the kidneys?
SGLT2 inhibitors
In general, what do you start treatment of type 2 diabetes with?
one agent unless the patient is very symptomatic
if not well controlled then you might add in another agent
When do you stop an agent?
only when you reach triple therapy or are adding an injectable
In which case would you stop/change an agent?
if the patient is intolerant or there is no change in HbA1c in 6 months
How many diabetic medicines in a patient usually on?
Max is 3
Why do we gradually increase the dose of metformin?
to minimise the risk of GI side effects e.g. nausea, loss of appetite and diarrhoea
How is the dose of metformin increased?
weekly by 500mg
When should metformin be taken?
with food
e.g. a dose with breakfast and a dose with dinner
What is metformin cautioned in?
renal impairment
What is the creatinine clearance cut off point for someone being on metformin?
30ml/min
any lower and there is a risk of the drug accumulating and precipitating lactic acidosis
Common side effects of metformin?
diarrhoea (transient), anorexia and nausea and vomiting
How well does metformin reduce HbA1c?
by 1-2%
Advantages of metformin?
no weight gain or hypoglycaemia when given alone
beneficial effects on lipid profile
no blood glucose monitoring (maybe once or twice a week)
good evidence base, isn’t expensive
How does metformin affect lipid profile?
not classed as a cholesterol lowering agent but can rise HDL and lower LDLs
Effectiveness of sulphonylureas?
decreases HbA1c by 1-2%
When are sulphonylureas first line?
if the patient is metformin intolerant
Advantages of sulphonylureas?
good evidence base and are inexpensive
Disadvantages of sulphonylureas?
weight gain and increased risk of hypoglycaemia (1 in 100)
Most popular sulphonylureas?
gliclazide followed by glipizide
Duration of action of gliclazide and glipizide?
Shorter duration of action than glibenclamide
How often is glibenclamide taken?
once daily
How often is gliclazide taken?
twice daily
What is the issue with glibenclamide?
it has a long duration of action so is more likely to cause hypoglycaemia
Effectiveness of thiazolidinediones?
Decreases HbA1c by 1-2%
When are thiazolidinediones useful?
as a substitute for metformin in patients with renal failure
Advantages of thiazolidinediones?
low risk of hypoglycaemia
Disadvantages of thiazolidinediones?
causes weight gain and can cause fluid retention
When are thiazolidinediones contraindicated?
in patients with
heart failure (can exacerbate this)
fractures (could be due to parathyroid gland affecting calcium levels)
haematuria (due to increased amount of glucose going through and irritating the bladder)
When can DPP4 inhibitors be used?
in mono, dual or triple therapy
if weight gain is undesirable and we do not want to use sulphonylureas or glitizones