Which diabetes meds could kill you?

In the battle of the diabetes medications, have researchers declared a winner?

This past weekend, a group of researchers presented at the Endocrine Society’s 94th Annual Meeting. They wanted everyone to know they’d discovered something big: Which of the most popular diabetes drugs is the safest.

So, did they? Or is this just another distraction from dangerous pharmaceutical drug risks?

The researchers compared glipizide, glyburdie, and glimepiride (all known as sulfonylureas) with metformin. All four are incredibly popular and are used as first-line choices for millions of people with diabetes.

Until now, all four have been considered equally safe. But the researchers found that metformin may carry a lower risk of death than the other three. In fact, the three sulfonylureas were associated with a more than 50 percent greater risk of death compared to metformin. Among patients with heart disease, the risk of death was higher with glipizide (41 percent) and glyburide (38 percent).

So should everyone be switching to metformin? Not so fast. Sorry, Astra Zeneca (they funded the study–surprise!).

Metformin may have beaten sulfonylureas in this round, but it’s not exactly the picture of safety.

Recently, there’s been a strong push for metformin for a slew of non-diabetes diseases and conditions (including lowering cancer risk). And I have a feeling this study is just part of the “look how safe metformin is!” push. But it’s not going to work.

Taking metformin can lead to the development of lactic acidosis, which is potentially fatal. It can also cause weakness, muscle pain, bloating, and stomach pain.

In one study on using metformin to help teens lose weight, participants experienced vomiting, nausea, and headaches.

They can push as hard as they want, but we’re on to them–and we don’t have to take it. You can actually get your diabetes under control without taking a single drug. Dr. Wright can show you how. (Please note that subscribers will have to log in to access this guide.)

P. S. You don’t have to choose the lesser of the evils when it comes to managing diabetes. Not when you can stop the disease in its tracks naturally. Click here to learn more.

Sources:
“Common Diabetes Drugs Associated With Increased Risk of Death,” Newswise (newswise.com)