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Combination Medications for Type 2 Diabetes

Some drugs are combined in one pill

Written by Lisa M. Leontis RN, ANP-C and Amy Hess-Fischl MS, RD, LDN, BC-ADM, CDE

Some medications combine the effects of two medications, and that has one main advantage. Many people with type 2 diabetes end up taking multiple prescriptions anyway, so it can be convenient to have them combined in one pill.

A potential drawback of using a combination medication is that it’s harder to adjust the dosage; the medications come with certain doses of one medication to the other.

Examples of combination medications for type 2 diabetes:

Metformin and glipizide (Metaglip)
Rosiglitazone and glimepiride (Avandaryl)
Pioglitazone and metformin (ACTOplus Met)
Metformin and glyburide (Glucovance)
Rosiglitazone and metformin (Avandamet)
Pioglitazone and glimepiride (duetact)

Updated on: 08/19/15

New Medications for Type 2 Diabetes

View Sources

American Diabetes Association. Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes—2009. Diabetes Care. 2009;32:S13-61.
Becker G. Type 2 Diabetes: An Essential Guide for the newly Diagnosed. 2^nd ed. New York, NY: Marlowe & Company; 2007.
McCulloch D. Patient information: Diabetes type 2: Overview. UpToDate Web site. January 30, 2009. Available at: http://www.uptodate.com/patients/content/topic.do?topicKey=~n0K0MIfI1iZs.&selectedTitle=5~150&source=search_result. Accessed April 20, 2009.
McCulloch D. Patient information: Diabetes mellitus type 2: Overview. UpToDate Web site. December 4, 2008. Available at: http://www.uptodate.com/patients/content/topic.do?topicKey=~X0jjLnBn4._ko&selectedTitle=4~150&source=search_result. Accessed April 20, 2009.

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