What Is Nateglinide Used For?

What is nateglinide used for? This prescription drug can help lower blood sugar levels in adults with type 2 diabetes by increasing insulin production in the pancreas. Over time, high blood sugar levels can cause several problems, such as kidney failure and heart disease. If nateglinide is used for type 2 diabetes, it can reduce the chances of developing these and other problems.

 

What Is Nateglinide Used For? -- An Overview

Nateglinide (Starlix®) is a prescription medication licensed to treat type 2 diabetes. The drug may be used when blood sugar levels cannot be controlled by diet and exercise alone. Nateglinide can be used by itself or in combination with another diabetes medication (see Starlix Alternatives).
 

Why Is Nateglinide Used for Type 2 Diabetes?

Type 2 diabetes is the most common type of diabetes (see Diabetes Types). It is also sometimes called adult-onset diabetes or non-insulin-dependent diabetes. The condition involves insulin resistance. With insulin resistance, the cells of the body do not respond to insulin as well as they normally should. As a result, the cells do not remove sugar from the blood very well. This is why people with type 2 diabetes have high blood sugar.
 
Over time, high blood sugar can lead to a number of problems, including diabetic impotence, diabetic neuropathy, kidney failure, and heart disease. The cause of type 2 diabetes is not fully understood, although it is known that obesity and genetics play an important role.
 
Nateglinide can treat type 2 diabetes in people who cannot lower blood sugar enough through lifestyle changes alone (weight loss, diet, and exercise). The medication increases the production of insulin in the pancreas, and is designed to be taken before each meal in order to decrease blood sugar levels afterwards.
 
The drug may need to be combined with other diabetes medicines. For example, if type 2 diabetes is untreated for a very long time, the pancreas may not be able to make enough insulin anymore. In these cases, using nateglinide alone will not be effective and an insulin medication will be needed.
 
(What Is Nateglinide Used For? Continued: Page 2)
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Written by/reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD; Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD;