After taking acarbose, I have diarrhea and more flatulence. Can I eat less and not take medicine?

A friend with diabetes told Huazi that he was taking acarbose to control his blood sugar, but after taking the medicine, he farted more every day and had diarrhea. He asked Huazi if he could eat less and not take acarbose. Huazi told him that eating less could not replace the effect of acarbose, and he did not recommend stopping the medication.

Gastrointestinal reactions are common adverse reactions of acarbose, which usually occur in the early stages of medication. After taking the medicine continuously for a period of time, most people can tolerate it and the reactions will gradually improve.

1. Acarbose can lower postprandial blood sugar. Acarbose is an α-glucosidase inhibitor that can inhibit the activity of α-glucosidase in the intestine, thereby inhibiting the decomposition of long-chain polysaccharides (mainly starch) in carbohydrate foods into disaccharides and monosaccharides (glucose is a monosaccharide).

The human intestine can only absorb monosaccharides but not polysaccharides. Therefore, after taking acarbose, the absorption of monosaccharides is slowed down and the rate of blood sugar rise will slow down, giving the body more time to react and secrete insulin, thereby lowering postprandial blood sugar levels.

2. Many people have misunderstandings about acarbose. Some people think that after taking acarbose, glucose will not be absorbed and they can relax their diet. This is a misunderstanding. In fact, the role of acarbose is to "delay" absorption, not "block" absorption. Acarbose prolongs the time of glucose absorption, lowers the peak of blood sugar after a meal, and makes blood sugar more stable.

That is to say, even after taking acarbose, every bite of food we eat will eventually be absorbed by the body. Acarbose only prolongs the absorption process and will not reduce the total calories absorbed.

Diabetic patients have decreased sensitivity to changes in blood sugar and weakened pancreatic islet function. Even if they reduce their food intake, without acarbose, glucose will be quickly absorbed and postprandial hyperglycemia will still occur, raising the overall blood sugar level. Therefore, eating less cannot replace the effect of medication.

3. Acarbose needs to be used in conjunction with diet control. Acarbose cannot reduce the absorption of glucose, so when taking acarbose, diabetic patients must also control their total calorie intake, eat according to their intake, and estimate the calories they consume in a day as a standard for eating.

The most common adverse reactions of acarbose are gastrointestinal bloating, increased flatulence, and diarrhea. This is because acarbose delays the absorption of carbohydrate foods and increases the time carbohydrate foods stay in the intestines. If you do not follow the diet control and increase your food intake, it may lead to aggravated gastrointestinal reactions and is not conducive to controlling blood sugar.

Strictly controlling your diet can reduce the adverse reactions of acarbose. After taking acarbose, most people can tolerate the adverse reactions and will not affect their health.

IV. Things to note when taking acarbose 1. Dosage: The starting dose of acarbose is 50 mg each time, 3 times a day. When the adverse reactions are tolerated, it can be increased to 100 mg each time, 3 times a day. The maximum dose is 200 mg each time, 3 times a day. If the adverse reactions are obvious, the dose can also be reduced.

2. Take during meals: Acarbose needs to be taken during meals, and it works best when taken with the first bite of food. If taken before or after meals, the efficacy of the drug will be greatly reduced or even ineffective.

3. It is only effective when there are carbohydrates in the meal: Acarbose only delays the absorption of carbohydrate foods. If there are no carbohydrates in the meal, for example, if you only eat vegetables and meat, and do not eat starchy staple foods such as rice, noodles, and potatoes, then taking acarbose will have no effect.

4. Rescue of hypoglycemia: Acarbose alone will not cause hypoglycemia, but diabetes usually requires multi-drug therapy. When acarbose is used in combination with other hypoglycemic drugs, if hypoglycemia occurs, it cannot be relieved by oral administration of sucrose (white sugar, brown sugar, rock sugar, etc.), but requires direct oral administration of glucose.

In summary, acarbose reduces postprandial blood sugar levels by delaying the decomposition of carbohydrate foods, but it does not reduce the absorption of total calories. Therefore, eating less cannot replace the effect of acarbose, and it is not recommended to stop taking the medicine. Good diet control while taking the medicine can alleviate gastrointestinal symptoms. The medicine must be used under the guidance of a doctor. If you have any questions about the use of the medicine, please consult a doctor or pharmacist. I am pharmacist Huazi, welcome to follow me and share more health knowledge.