Does colesevelam help people with diabetes?
Colesevelam was initially developed to treat
patients with high cholesterol. Then someone noticed that the drug also causes
lowering of blood sugars. Since then, many doctors have started to prescribe
colesevelam for diabetics. The question is does it work?
From recent studies, data indicate that
colesevelam does lower lipids and blood sugars. More importantly it did not
cause hypoglycemic episodes. Unfortunately in all the studies, colesevelam was
used in combination with other diabetic drugs, so it is difficult to tell if
colesevelam alone would be effective.
My best advice is stick to your diabetic
medications. You may take colesevelam if you want, but I would not expect
miracles. The drug has unpleasant side effects. If metformin or other diabetic
drugs work for you, add exercise and changes in lifestyle to control your
diabetes. Not colesevelam
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