Many people with type 2 diabetes take a medication called metformin to help manage their blood sugar. It’s often the first drug doctors prescribe because it works well and is usually safe.
But for many patients, metformin alone isn’t enough to keep blood sugar under control. They need a second medication, called a second-line drug, to help manage their condition.
This second medicine plays an important role in helping people stay healthy and avoid complications. But a new study by researchers at Northwestern Medicine found that many patients stop taking their second-line diabetes drugs too soon.
This can lead to poor blood sugar control and may even increase the risk of serious health problems in the future. It can also waste time and money for both patients and doctors.
The study was published in The American Journal of Managed Care. It looked at data from over 82,000 people with type 2 diabetes between 2014 and 2017. The results were surprising: nearly two out of every three patients stopped, changed, or increased their diabetes medications within one year of starting a second-line drug.
In fact, in four out of five drug types studied, many patients stopped taking the medication. About 38% of people stopped taking their second drug altogether. One group of drugs—called GLP-1 receptor agonists—had the highest dropout rate. After one year, about 50% of patients who were prescribed a GLP-1 drug had stopped taking it.
David Liss, the lead author of the study and a research professor at Northwestern University, says this is a major concern. Managing diabetes is a lifelong task, and stopping a medication too early can make it much harder to stay healthy over time.
The researchers did not study all the reasons why patients stop taking their medication, but some possible answers are already known. For example, GLP-1 drugs are known to cause side effects like nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. These problems may cause people to stop using the medication, even if it’s helping their blood sugar.
Another interesting finding was that the kind of doctor who prescribed the medicine made a difference. Patients were more likely to keep taking the drug if it was prescribed by an endocrinologist—a doctor who specializes in hormones and diseases like diabetes.
On the other hand, patients who got their prescriptions from general family doctors or internal medicine doctors were more likely to quit or change their medication.
This study shows how important it is for doctors and patients to communicate clearly. Doctors need to explain how the medication works, what side effects may happen, and how to handle them. Patients should feel comfortable asking questions and reporting any problems they have.
Stopping diabetes medications may not cause immediate symptoms, but over time it can lead to poor blood sugar control, which can increase the risk of serious problems like heart disease, kidney damage, or hospital visits. That’s why sticking to a treatment plan is so important.
These findings are a good reminder that treating diabetes is not just about writing a prescription. It’s about helping people through the whole journey—answering questions, solving problems, and making sure they feel supported.
If you care about diabetes, please read studies about bananas and diabetes, and honey could help control blood sugar.
For more health information, please see recent studies about Vitamin D that may reduce dangerous complications in diabetes and results showing plant-based protein foods may help reverse type 2 diabetes.
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