Precose, manufactured by Bayer Corporation, has been in use in Europe for years as Glucobay, is the brand name of Acarbose in the United States. This product is in a alpha-glucosidase inhibitor meaning that it works in the intestines to slow the digestion of carbohydrates and, thus, their conversion into glucose. This process enables more accurate control of the blood sugar levels and is most effective after meals. If your doctor is considering a prescription for Precose to control your diabetes, you might have concerns as to what it can do for you and what side effect there may be. In this article, we will discus both subjects.

The Good

Precose will do several beneficial things for the patient with Diabetes. A short listing of these assets includes:

Bringing the blood sugar levels into a suitable range.

No risk of developing hypoglycemia when the drug is used as the sole medication for controlling blood sugar.

Weight loss is substantially easier for most patients using Precose.

Precose can be used independently or in combination with almost any other diabetic medication, including the drug class, Sulfonylureas, Metformin, or Insulin injections to allow physicians a greater range in treatment for their diabetic patients.

Precose is practical for helping to control blood glucose levels in Type 1 Diabetes patients when combined with insulin injections.

As with every thing in the medical world, there are risks and failings to be considered as well. We will proceed to discuss them now.

The Bad

As we stated earlier, Precose does have its shortcomings. The list for these includes:

Precose is most effective in controlling blood sugar levels immediately after meals. At the recommended dosage, the product is only marginally effective in reducing serum glucose levels.

If Hypoglycemia occurs, the patient can only be treated with glucose.

The majority of individual taking Precose will have gastrointestinal complaints consisting of pain, diarrhea or flatulence (77%).

Combining treatment withGlucophage, tends to increase the discomfort of gastrointestinal effects and should not be tried unless directed by your doctor.

Timing of Precose is important to its function thus making it a bit unwieldy for those with busy lives. With the dosage being taken with the first bite of every major meal, Precose could quickly become a major pain.

Treatment must begin in low dosages and gradually increased in four to eight week periods. Again a major setback for those who don't have time to waste visitng the doctor every four weeks. The starting dose of Precose is half the size of the smallest manufactured tablet, meaning that the pill must be cut in half before being administered.

Precose is not recommended for those with limited kidney function, bowel disorders, women who are breast feeding, or patients using charcoal or digestive enzyme therapy.

Precose has not been studied in children, so its effects for children are presently unknown. High dosages are known to cause abnormal liver enzyme activity yet the medication does not become truly effective unless administered at a dosage three times that which the manufacturer recommends; a maximum dosage of 100 mg three times daily.