QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ABOUT TAKING CARE OF TYPE 2 DIABETES
The more you learn about type 2 diabetes, the easier it is to take steps toward managing your diabetes. And when you do, you'll get the good feeling that comes from knowing you’re doing the right thing for yourself and the people you love.
Here are answers to the questions most frequently asked about type 2 diabetes and JANUVIA.
Diabetes is a disease of high blood sugar. When you have diabetes, your blood sugar is out of balance and your body is not able to keep your blood sugar level at a healthy balance on its own. Having high blood sugar for a long time can cause health problems.
For people without diabetes: Between 70 and 120 mg/dL
For people with type 2 diabetes: Fasting (not eating for a period of time): up to 130 mg/dL After meals: less than 180 mg/dL
It is important to test your blood sugar regularly. You can do this at home. Write down your results each time. Some people need to test once a day; others need to test several times a day. Your doctor will tell you how many times a day you should test your blood sugar and which method is right for you.
A1C is a blood test done in a doctor’s office or in a laboratory. It shows your average blood sugar level over the past 2 to 3 months. Most doctors recommend that you get an A1C test up to 4 times a year. It’s important to know your A1C because it tells how balanced your blood sugar level is staying over time.
For most people with diabetes, the American Diabetes Association recommends an A1C of less than 7%. Another group of experts, the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists, recommends an even lower A1C of 6.5% or less.
You and your doctor will decide what your target A1C should be. If your A1C is on target, good for you!
To take care of your diabetes, your doctor may tell you that you need to make some lifestyle changes. You might need to:
Make some changes in the way you eat
Become more active
Lose some weight
Take medicine every day
A well-balanced diet, exercise, and a healthy weight can help balance your blood sugar level.
Taking care of diabetes can be tough. You may not be able to tell when your blood sugar is high because you may not feel different. It's easy to think, "I'll start tomorrow." Unfortunately, you may not feel the damage that high blood sugar is causing either, until the damage is already done.
JANUVIA is a once-daily pill that, along with diet and exercise, helps lower blood sugar levels in adults with type 2 diabetes. It's a type of prescription diabetes medicine called a DPP-4 inhibitor (blocker). DPP-4 blockers enhance the body's own ability to control blood sugar levels. A doctor may prescribe JANUVIA alone or together with certain other diabetes medicines to help control blood sugar.
JANUVIA works only when your blood sugar levels are high. When your blood sugar levels are at a healthy balance, JANUVIA doesn't have an effect.
Because JANUVIA stops working before your blood sugar gets too low, it is not likely to lower your blood sugar to a potentially dangerous level (hypoglycemia).
When JANUVIA is used with a sulfonylurea, low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) can occur. To avoid this risk, your doctor may prescribe lower doses of the sulfonylurea.
Most people with diabetes struggle with maintaining a healthy weight. This can be very frustrating. So you'll be glad to know that most patients who took JANUVIA did not gain weight. That's because JANUVIA is a kind of diabetes medicine that works in 2 ways.
Be sure to follow your treatment plan for healthy eating and exercise while taking JANUVIA or any diabetes medicine.
JANUVIA (jah-NEW-vee-ah) is a once-daily prescription pill that, along with diet and exercise, helps lower blood sugar levels in adults with type 2 diabetes.
JANUVIA should not be used in patients with type 1 diabetes or with diabetic ketoacidosis (increased ketones in the blood or urine). If you have had pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas), it is not known if you have a higher chance of getting it while taking JANUVIA.
Selected Risk Information About JANUVIA
Serious side effects can happen in people who take JANUVIA, including pancreatitis, which may be severe and lead to death. Before you start taking JANUVIA, tell your doctor if you've ever had pancreatitis. Stop taking JANUVIA and call your doctor right away if you have pain in your stomach area (abdomen) that is severe and will not go away. The pain may be felt going from your abdomen through to your back. The pain may happen with or without vomiting. These may be symptoms of pancreatitis.
Do not take JANUVIA if you are allergic to any of its ingredients, including sitagliptin. Symptoms of serious allergic reactions to JANUVIA, including rash, hives, and swelling of the face, lips, tongue, and throat that may cause difficulty breathing or swallowing, can occur. If you have any symptoms of a serious allergic reaction, stop taking JANUVIA and call your doctor right away.
If you take JANUVIA with another medicine that can cause low blood sugar (hypoglycemia), such as a sulfonylurea or insulin, your risk of getting low blood sugar is higher. The dose of your sulfonylurea medicine or insulin may need to be lowered while you use JANUVIA. Signs and symptoms of low blood sugar may include headache, drowsiness, weakness, dizziness, confusion, irritability, hunger, fast heart beat, sweating, and feeling jittery.
Your doctor may do blood tests before and during treatment with JANUVIA to see how well your kidneys are working. Based on these results, your doctor may change your dose of JANUVIA. The most common side effects of JANUVIA are upper respiratory tract infection, stuffy or runny nose and sore throat, and headache.
You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch, or call 1-800-FDA-1088.
JANUVIA is a registered trademark and Steps to Balance is a trademark of Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp., a subsidiary of Merck & Co., Inc.
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