What are some good medications for diabetes?

Healthline recommends metformin to treat Type 2 diabetes as long as it is effective and has no adverse side effects. The drug can be used together with glipizide or glimepiride if it fails to bring blood sugar within the normal range alone.

Other effective medications for Type 2 diabetes include meglitinides such as repaglinide and nateglinide, sulfonylureas such as glipizide and glimepiride, and thiazolidinediones such as rosiglitazone and pioglitazone, explains Mayo Clinic. There are six categories of Type 2 diabetes medications available in the United States as of 2015. Newer drugs are typically more expensive, are less effective and have severe side effects, according to Healthline.