Duetact (Cont.)

Duetact: What Should I Tell My Healthcare Provider?

You should talk with your healthcare provider prior to taking Duetact if you have:
 
  • Kidney problems, including kidney failure or renal failure
  • Liver problems, including liver failure or cirrhosis
  • Heart problems of any kind, especially congestive heart failure (CHF)
  • Adrenal insufficiency or adrenal fatigue
  • Pituitary gland problems
  • An upcoming surgery
  • Any allergies, including allergies to sulfa drugs, foods, dyes, or preservatives.
     
Also let your healthcare provider know if you are:
 
  • Pregnant or thinking of becoming pregnant (see Duetact and Pregnancy)
  • Having problems getting pregnant
  • Breastfeeding
  • Premenopausal without regular menstrual periods.
     
Tell your healthcare provider about all other medicines you are currently taking, including prescription and non-prescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements.
 
(Click Duetact Warnings and Precautions to learn more, including information on who should not take the drug.)
 

Alternatives to Duetact

In general, type 2 diabetes treatment begins with lifestyle changes (for example, weight loss, exercise, and diet). If lifestyle changes alone are not effective at managing diabetes, medication (such as Duetact) may be necessary.
 
The main goal of diabetes medicine is to lower blood sugar levels enough to reduce your risk of developing problems related to diabetes, such as heart, nerve, eye, or kidney problems. Because Duetact can lower blood sugar levels, people may also be able to lower their risk for developing problems related to high blood sugar.
 
For most people, Duetact is quite effective at controlling blood sugar. It is also generally well tolerated. However, side effects can occur, or the medicine may not work as well as needed. In these cases, you may need to combine Duetact with another diabetes medicine, such as metformin (Glucophage®) or insulin. You may also wish to consider a substitute for Duetact. These substitutes could include other combination medications or a different type of diabetes medication.
 
(Click Duetact Alternatives to learn more.)
 
To learn about controlling diabetes through lifestyle choices, click any of the following eMedTV links:
 
(Duetact Continued: Page 5)
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Written by/reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD; Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD;