The statistics are astounding. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), 23.6 million adults and children have diabetes in the United States. The lingering question remains: what do you, as a patient, ask and what should your clinicians be asking of you?

Researchers study different medications and acids that help diabetes and the symptoms that go along with it. One of these acids is alpha-lipoic acid. According to Laura Shane-McWhorter, PharmD, from the University of Utah College of Pharmacy, alpha-lipoic acid is manufactured in the liver and used for neuropathy and other disorders, such as diabetes. “The bottom line is that it helps decrease oxidative stress,” McWhorter told Ivanhoe. Side effects from alpha-lipoic acid are generally dose-related and vary from patient to patient. The most common side effects are diarrhea and vertigo.

Another medication that doctors commonly use to help diabetic patients is benfotiamine.  Benfotiamine enhances transketolase activity. It is a form of B1 that inhibits three major pathways involved in damage.

Furthermore, it “blocks hyperglycemia-induced activation, or inflammation, with potential allergies as the only main side effect,” said McWhorter.

“Up to 38 percent of patients with type 2 diabetes may have a magnesium deficiency,” McWhorter said. Perhaps the most widely-used supplement in diabetic patients is CoQ10. This is a vitamin-like substance that may decrease blood pressure and “has antioxidant activity,” McWhorter adds. The most common side effect of this supplement is rashes.

McWhorter also offers some helpful tips for clinicians and patients. She said it is vital that clinicians ask the right questions of their patients during visits. Some of these questions include: Is the patient taking any supplements? If so, where did they obtain the product and from what manufacturer? In addition, McWhorter said clinicians should be sure to monitor everything and “stop supplements two weeks before surgery.”

Patients also play a critical role in assuring their diabetic treatments and check-ups go smoothly. First, patients should check http://www.usp.org, an official database for over-the-counter medications as well as prescription health care products. “Tell your doctor when you start and stop any supplements and don’t always assume ‘natural’ means safe,” McWhorter warns. It is also important to remember not to duplicate ingredients.

SOURCE: Ivanhoe interview with Laura Shane-McWhorter, PharmD; 70th American Diabetes Association Scientific Sessions in Orlando, Fla., June 25-29, 2010