Glucovance Alternatives

Glucovance Drug Info

Ergot Alkaloids

One ergot alkaloid, bromocriptine (Cycloset^™) is approved for treating type 2 diabetes. Bromocriptine is actually an older medication that has been used for quite some time for other uses, although it was only recently approved for treating diabetes.

Bromocriptine works uniquely, compared to other diabetes medications. It works as a dopamine receptor agonist, which means that it binds to and stimulates dopamine receptors. It is thought that stimulating dopamine receptors in the brain at certain times of the day "resets" the biological clock and improves metabolism. It is thought that seasonal changes in the metabolism of wild animals are due to similar mechanisms.

Insulin and Other Injectable Diabetes Medications

There are a variety of different types of insulin and other injectable medications for type 2 diabetes, including:

Insulin
Incretin mimetics
Amylin analogues.

Insulin

There are a variety of different insulins available, including short-, rapid-, long-, and intermediate-acting insulins.

Incretin Mimetics

There are two incretin mimetics available: exenatide (Byetta^®) and liraglutide (Victoza^®). They work by acting like the hormone incretin in the body, increasing insulin production and slowing digestion. Byetta is taken twice daily, while Victoza is taken once daily. Both are taken as an injection just under the skin (by subcutaneous injection).

Amylin Analogues

There is one amylin analogue available, called pramlintide (Symlin^®). This medication works like the hormone amylin in the body, increasing insulin production, slowing digestion, decreasing the amount of glucose produced in the liver, and reducing appetite.

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