What drugs are alpha-glucosidase inhibitors?

Alpha-glucosidase inhibitors (AGIs; acarbose, miglitol, voglibose) are widely used in the treatment of patients with type 2 diabetes. AGIs delay the absorption of carbohydrates from the small intestine and thus have a lowering effect on postprandial blood glucose and insulin levels.

What is the action of alpha-glucosidase inhibitors?

Mechanism of Action AGIs inhibit the absorption of carbohydrates from the small intestine. They competitively inhibit enzymes that convert complex non-absorbable carbohydrates into simple absorbable carbohydrates. These enzymes include glucoamylase, sucrase, maltase, and isomaltase.

What kind of inhibitor is acarbose?

Acarbose is a competitive inhibitor of mammalian lysosomal acid alpha-D-glucosidases. Carbohydr Res.

Is Metformin an alpha-glucosidase inhibitor?

To date, 6 classes of oral antihyperglycemic drugs are available: biguanides (metformin), sulphonylurea (eg, tolbutamide), glinidines (eg, repaglinide), thiazolidinediones (eg, pioglitazone), dipeptidyl peptidase IV inhibitors (eg, sitagliptin) and alpha-glucosidase inhibitors (AGIs; eg, acarbose) (Nathan 2007).

What are the side effects of alpha-glucosidase inhibitors?

α-Glucosidase inhibitors are associated with significant gastrointestinal side effects that affect over 50% of individuals. Increased colonic gas production due to fermentation of unabsorbed carbohydrate cause abdominal bloating, cramping, increased flatulence, or diarrhea.

When should I take alpha-glucosidase inhibitors?

You take an alpha-glucosidase inhibitor with the first bite of each meal. Most people take a pill three times a day. An alpha-glucosidase inhibitor will usually lower your A1c (the “average” of your blood sugar control over a few months) by about 0.5% to 0.8%.

Why is acarbose not used?

Acarbose use is contraindicated in patients with known hypersensitivity, diabetic ketoacidosis, liver cirrhosis, inflammatory bowel disease, or colonic ulceration.

Which is better metformin or acarbose?

Previous randomized clinical trials demonstrated that acarbose is as effective as metformin for glycemic control (11–14). Furthermore, in the STOP-NIDDM study, acarbose treatment was shown to prevent 49% of cardiovascular events in patients with impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) (15).

What are the side effects of sulfonylureas?

Side Effects of Sulfonylureas

• Signs of low blood sugar, such as sweating, dizziness, confusion, or nervousness.
• Hunger.
• Weight gain.
• Skin reactions.
• Upset stomach.
• Dark-colored urine.

How effective are alpha-glucosidase inhibitors?

An alpha-glucosidase inhibitor will usually lower your A1c (the “average” of your blood sugar control over a few months) by about 0.5% to 0.8%.

Who should not use acarbose?

Acarbose is not approved for use by anyone younger than 18 years old.

What happens if you take acarbose without food?

However, low blood sugar can occur if you take acarbose with another type of diabetes medicine, delay or miss a meal or snack, exercise more than usual, drink alcohol, or cannot eat because of nausea or vomiting.

What is the role of alpha glucosidase inhibitors?

Alpha-glucosidase inhibitors. What are Alpha-glucosidase inhibitors? Alpha-glucosidase is one of the enzymes responsible for breaking down carbohydrates to smaller sugar particles like glucose, in order for the carbohydrates to be absorbed.

What to eat when taking an alpha glucosidase inhibitor?

If a patient using an alpha-glucosidase inhibitor suffers from an episode of hypoglycemia, the patient should eat something containing monosaccharides, such as glucose tablets.

How are alpha glucosidases related to pancreatic alpha amylase?

The membrane-bound intestinal alpha-glucosidases hydrolyze oligosaccharides, trisaccharides, and disaccharides to glucose and other monosaccharides in the small intestine. Acarbose also blocks pancreatic alpha-amylase in addition to inhibiting membrane-bound alpha-glucosidases.

What is the effect of acarbose on GHB?

With acarbose dosages higher than 50 mg t.i.d., the effect on GHb was the same, but the occurrence of side effects increased. Acarbose decreased the BMI by 0.17 kg/m 2 (95% CI 0.08–0.26). None of the AGIs had an effect on plasma lipids.