Acarbose Hypoglycemia: Why You Must Use Glucose, Not Sucrose
Acarbose blocks sucrose breakdown, so it won't raise low blood sugar. Treat acarbose-related hypoglycemia with glucose tablets or milk instead.
Insulin Blood Sugar
60 source-based articles maintained by the HealthRX.com Editorial Team.
60articles
6topic areas covered
Jan 28, 2025latest review
Insulin Blood Sugar library
Showing 60 of 60 clinical reviews.
Adjusting Insulin for Exercise: A Clinical Guide to Safe Blood Sugar Management
Learn how to adjust basal and bolus insulin doses around aerobic exercise, resistance training, and mixed activity to prevent hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia, with specific dose recommendations, carb strategies, and real trial data.
Adjusting Insulin for Illness: Sick-Day Rules for Basal, Bolus, and Correction Doses
A guide to adjusting insulin during illness, covering sick-day rules, basal-bolus regimens, insulin-to-carb ratios, correction factors, and when to call your provider.
Aspart vs NovoLog vs Fiasp: What's the Real Difference?
Aspart is the drug; NovoLog and Fiasp are brand versions. Fiasp acts in 4-15 min, NovoLog in 10-20 min, both peak 1-3 hrs and last up to 5 hrs.
Basal Bolus Insulin Regimen - Carb Ratios & Correction Doses
A basal bolus regimen pairs long-acting insulin with mealtime rapid-acting doses based on carb intake. See starting formulas and how doses get adjusted.
Best Foods to Eat With Insulin Resistance (Plus Blood Sugar Numbers You Need to Know)
A guide to the best foods for insulin resistance, normal A1c ranges, dangerous blood sugar thresholds, and why morning highs happen, with clinical evidence throughout.
Canagliflozin (Invokana): How It Works, Doses, Benefits, and Risks
A guide to canagliflozin (Invokana) covering mechanism, dosing, cardiovascular and renal outcomes, side effects, and how it compares with metformin, glipizide, pioglitazone, and empagliflozin.
CGM vs Fingerstick Monitoring: Which Blood Glucose Method Is Right for You?
A comparison of continuous glucose monitors and fingerstick testing covering accuracy, cost, insurance coverage, and which patients benefit most from each method.
Cost of CGMs, Insulin, and Diabetes Supplies in 2026: What You'll Actually Pay
A breakdown of CGM costs, insulin prices after the IRA cap, manufacturer assistance programs, and GoodRx generics, with specific numbers, named devices, and primary-source citations.
Diabetes Medications to Avoid in Heart Failure
Some diabetes drugs raise heart failure risk while SGLT2 inhibitors cut hospitalization 25 to 35%. See which agents to avoid and which are preferred.
Diabetic Ketoacidosis: Symptoms, Causes and Treatment
DKA occurs when severe insulin deficiency causes high blood sugar, ketone buildup and blood acidosis. Learn warning signs, triggers, and how it's treated.
Diabetic Kidney Disease Treatment - Drugs That Work Best
Treatment layers RAS blockade, an SGLT2 inhibitor, and finerenone or a GLP-1 drug for persistent albuminuria, started early before fibrosis sets in.
Diabetic Neuropathy: Causes, Symptoms, Types, and Treatment
A guide to diabetic neuropathy covering peripheral, autonomic, proximal, and focal types, with evidence-based treatments, screening schedules, and prevention strategies for type 1, type 2, and prediabetes patients.
Diabetic Retinopathy: Causes, Stages, Treatment, and Prevention
A comprehensive clinical guide to diabetic retinopathy covering how chronic hyperglycemia damages retinal vessels, the four ETDRS stages, screening intervals, laser and anti-VEGF treatments, and the HbA1c targets that cut progression risk.
Does Berberine Work Like Metformin for Blood Sugar?
A clinical comparison of berberine vs. metformin: shared mechanism, what trial evidence actually shows, A1C and glucose targets, dangerous thresholds, and the dawn phenomenon, with an evidence-boundary map.
Farxiga (Dapagliflozin): Uses, Dosing, and Side Effects
Farxiga lowers blood sugar via the kidneys, cuts heart failure hospitalization by 27%, and slows kidney disease. Starting dose is 5 mg daily, up to 10 mg.
Gestational Diabetes: Causes, Blood Sugar Targets, Treatment, and Long-Term Risk
A guide to gestational diabetes covering diagnosis, glucose targets, insulin vs oral agents, diet, and the lifetime risk of type 2 diabetes for mother and child.
Glipizide (Sulfonylurea): How It Works, Dosing, Side Effects, and How It Compares to Metformin, Pioglitazone, Empagliflozin, and Dapagliflozin
Evidence-based glipizide guide covering immediate- and extended-release dosing, hypoglycemia, kidney considerations, and accurate comparisons with common diabetes medicines.
GLP-1 and Reactive Hypoglycemia: Why Blood Sugar Crashes
GLP-1 drugs can trigger low blood sugar 2-4 hours after eating by amplifying insulin release. Learn causes, symptoms, the MMTT test, and treatment options.
GoodRx and Generic Insulin: What You Actually Pay in 2026
A guide to using GoodRx coupons for generic insulin, the IRA $35 cap, manufacturer patient assistance programs, and CGM costs in 2026.
Humalog Reviews: How It Compares to Novolog
Humalog and Novolog work almost identically for mealtime blood sugar control. See what matters more: insurance coverage, device fit, and daily routine.
Hyperglycemic Hyperosmolar State: Causes, Diagnosis, and Treatment
A complete clinical guide to hyperglycemic hyperosmolar state (HHS): blood glucose thresholds, osmolality targets, fluid and insulin protocols, and how it differs from DKA.
Insulin and Blood Sugar After Bariatric Surgery: What Patients and Clinicians Need to Know
A comprehensive clinical guide to insulin resistance, hypoglycemia risk, glucose monitoring, and diabetes remission after bariatric surgery, covering special populations including pregnancy, older adults, children, and renal disease.
Insulin and Blood Sugar in Children: Dosing, Targets, and Special Populations
A guide to insulin therapy and blood glucose management in children, with evidence-based targets, dosing frameworks, and guidance for pregnancy, older adults, renal disease, and heart failure.
Insulin and Blood Sugar in Pregnancy Planning: What You Need to Know Before You Conceive
A guide to managing insulin resistance, blood sugar targets, and diabetes medications before and during pregnancy, with coverage of special populations including older adults, adolescents, and those with renal disease.
Insulin and Blood Sugar in Pregnancy: What Every Pregnant Patient Needs to Know
A guide covering how insulin and blood glucose behave during pregnancy, gestational diabetes diagnosis and treatment, target glucose ranges, insulin types used in pregnancy, and special considerations for older adults, children, people with renal disease, and heart failure.
Insulin and Blood Sugar Management in Renal Disease
How chronic kidney disease changes insulin pharmacokinetics, alters hypoglycemia risk, and demands tailored dosing strategies, with evidence-based guidance for CKD stages 1-5 and dialysis.
Insulin Cap and IRA Impact: What the $35 Limit Means for Diabetes Costs in 2026
The Inflation Reduction Act capped insulin copays at $35/month for Medicare beneficiaries and triggered private-market price cuts. Here is what the IRA insulin cap covers, what it misses, and how to minimize your total diabetes costs in 2026.
Insulin Correction Factor: How to Calculate and Use It Safely
Learn what the insulin correction factor (sensitivity factor) is, how to calculate it using the 1700 and 1800 rules, how it fits into basal-bolus therapy, and how clinicians adjust it over time.
Insulin Detemir (Levemir): Dosing, Side Effects, and How It Compares to Other Diabetes Medications
A comprehensive clinical guide to insulin detemir (Levemir), covering mechanism, dosing, side effects, and comparisons with metformin, glipizide, pioglitazone, and empagliflozin for type 1 and type 2 diabetes management.
Insulin Lispro (Humalog, Lyumjev): Dosing, Comparisons, and Clinical Use
A comprehensive clinical guide to insulin lispro (Humalog and Lyumjev), covering mechanism of action, dosing, side effects, comparisons with metformin, glipizide, pioglitazone, and empagliflozin, and the latest FDA-approved indications.
Insulin Pump Settings: Basal Rates, Carb Ratios, and Correction Factors Explained
A complete clinical guide to insulin pump settings, including how to set basal rates, insulin-to-carb ratios, correction factors, and insulin on board. Reviewed by HealthRX.com physicians.
Insulin Resistance: Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis, and How to Reverse It
A guide to insulin resistance covering mechanisms, risk factors, diagnostic thresholds, and evidence-based treatment including diet, exercise, metformin, and GLP-1 receptor agonists.
Insulin Side Effects in Elderly: Risks and Safe Dosing
Older adults face 2-3x higher hypoglycemia risk on insulin. See safe HbA1c targets, dosing adjustments for kidney function, and how to avoid overcorrection.
Insulin to Carb Ratio Determination: How to Find Your ICR
Learn how to calculate your insulin-to-carb ratio (ICR), verify it with real-meal tests, adjust for correction factors, and integrate it into basal-bolus and pump regimens. guidance with primary-source citations.
Is It Safe to Skip a Meal on Insulin?
Skipping a meal on insulin raises hypoglycemia risk, but how much depends on the insulin type, dose, timing, and your current glucose reading. A practical, evidence-based decision framework for people on insulin who cannot eat as planned.
Januvia vs Actos: Key Differences in Effect and Risk
Januvia is weight-neutral with low hypoglycemia risk but modest HbA1c drop; Actos lowers glucose more but can cause weight gain and fluid retention.
Jardiance (Empagliflozin): Uses, Dosing, Side Effects
Jardiance lowers A1C 0.5-0.8%, cuts CV death risk 38% in EMPA-REG, and aids weight loss. See dosing, side effects, and drug comparisons.
Lactic Acidosis Risk With Metformin: What the Evidence Actually Shows
A guide to metformin-associated lactic acidosis (MALA): real incidence rates, who is at risk, FDA contraindications, drug interactions, and when to hold or stop the drug safely.
Lantus vs Basaglar: Differences, Dosing, and Cost
Lantus and Basaglar share the same insulin glargine sequence and 100 U/mL strength but differ in price and pen device; Toujeo is 300 U/mL. Compare dosing here.
Lantus vs Tresiba: Which Long-Acting Insulin Is Right for You?
A detailed clinical comparison of insulin glargine (Lantus) and insulin degludec (Tresiba), covering duration of action, hypoglycemia risk, dosing flexibility, and cost to help patients and clinicians choose the right basal insulin.
Manufacturer Patient Assistance Programs for Insulin and Blood Sugar Medications in 2026
A complete guide to manufacturer patient assistance programs (PAPs) for insulin, CGMs, and diabetes medications, including eligibility, savings amounts, and how the Inflation Reduction Act's $35 cap interacts with these programs.
Metabolic Syndrome: Causes, Diagnosis, and Treatment
Metabolic syndrome affects 1 in 3 American adults and dramatically raises the risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Learn how insulin resistance drives the condition, how it is diagnosed, and what clinical interventions actually work.
Metformin Titration and Tolerance: A Clinical Dosing Guide
Learn how to titrate metformin safely, manage GI side effects, and understand how it fits into basal-bolus insulin regimens, carb counting, and insulin-to-carb ratio calculations.
Metformin vs GLP-1 Agonists: A Clinical Comparison for Type 2 Diabetes and Weight Management
A comparison of metformin and GLP-1 receptor agonists covering mechanism, efficacy, weight loss, cardiovascular outcomes, side effects, cost, and when to use each drug or both together.
MODY: Maturity-Onset Diabetes of the Young Explained
MODY (maturity-onset diabetes of the young) is a rare, single-gene form of diabetes that is frequently misdiagnosed as type 1 or type 2. Learn about the 14 subtypes, diagnostic criteria, and targeted treatments that can eliminate the need for insulin in most cases.
Pioglitazone (Actos): Dosing, Mechanism, Side Effects, and How It Compares to Metformin, SGLT2 Inhibitors, and Sulfonylureas
Complete clinical guide to pioglitazone (Actos) for type 2 diabetes: mechanism, dosing, side effects, cardiovascular data, and head-to-head comparisons with metformin, glipizide, empagliflozin, and dapagliflozin.
Pioglitazone and Bladder Cancer Signal: What Patients and Clinicians Need to Know
A clinical review of the pioglitazone bladder cancer pharmacovigilance signal, covering trial data, FDA actions, prescribing considerations, and how it compares to risks from sulfonylureas, SGLT2 inhibitors, and metformin.
Pramlintide (Symlin): How It Works, Doses, and Where It Fits in Diabetes Care
A guide to pramlintide (Symlin): mechanism, dosing, efficacy data, side effects, and how it compares with metformin, glipizide, pioglitazone, and empagliflozin.
Prandin Reviews: Repaglinide Dosing and Effectiveness
Prandin (repaglinide) lowers HbA1c by 1.5-2.0 points with less hypoglycemia risk than glipizide. See dosing, mechanism, and how it compares to other diabetes drugs.
Prediabetes: What Your Blood Sugar Numbers Mean
Prediabetes means fasting glucose 100-125 mg/dL or A1c 5.7-6.4%. Lifestyle changes cut type 2 diabetes risk by 58%, better than metformin alone.
Pump vs Multiple Daily Injections: Which Insulin Delivery Method Is Right for You?
A clinical comparison of insulin pumps versus multiple daily injection (MDI) therapy for type 1 and type 2 diabetes, covering glycemic control, cost, lifestyle fit, and how to choose between Lantus vs Tresiba, Novolog vs Humalog, and adjunct agents like metformin and SGLT2 inhibitors.
Regular Insulin vs NPH Insulin: Onset, Peak, Duration
NPH insulin peaks in 4 to 12 hours and lasts up to 24, while regular insulin acts faster and clears sooner. See dosing and OTC options like Humulin N.
SGLT2 Inhibitor DKA Prevention: Sick-Day and Surgery Rules
SGLT2 inhibitors can cause euglycemic DKA even with normal glucose. Learn sick-day holding rules, pre-surgical hold timing, and ketone monitoring guidance.
SGLT2 Inhibitors HbA1c Reduction vs DPP-4 Inhibitors
SGLT2 inhibitors lower HbA1c by about 0.5 to 0.8 points, similar to DPP-4 inhibitors, but add proven heart and kidney protection guidelines now favor.
Should I Use a CGM? Blood Sugar Targets, Danger Zones, and Morning Highs Explained
Find out whether a continuous glucose monitor is right for you, what blood sugar and A1c numbers actually mean, why morning highs happen, and what the dawn phenomenon is, with guidance and primary-source citations.
Sulfonylurea Risks in Older Adults
Sulfonylureas carry serious hypoglycemia risk in adults over 65. Learn which agents are safest, what guidelines recommend, and how alternatives like DPP-4 inhibitors and GLP-1 agonists compare.
Tradjenta vs Jardiance: Key Differences Explained
Tradjenta (DPP-4 inhibitor) lowers HbA1c 0.6-0.8% with no kidney dose changes needed; Jardiance works differently. Compare mechanism, dosing, and effects.
Type 1 Diabetes: Causes, Insulin Therapy, Blood Sugar Targets, and Long-Term Management
A guide to type 1 diabetes covering autoimmune mechanisms, insulin regimens, blood sugar targets, complications, and the latest evidence on continuous glucose monitoring and closed-loop systems.
Type 2 Diabetes: Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis, and Evidence-Based Treatment
A guide to type 2 diabetes covering insulin resistance, diagnosis criteria, medications including metformin and GLP-1 agonists, lifestyle interventions, and long-term management strategies.