Talking With Your Doctor

Get the facts about controlling your blood sugar

It's important to have an open dialogue with your doctor to fully understand your condition and its treatment. You may have questions for your doctor, and there is important information you should provide to your doctor.

Get the facts about controlling your blood sugar

Begin a conversation with your doctor about your treatment goals. Working with your doctor to get answers to the following questions is a good starting point.

• Are my blood sugar goals appropriate for me?
• How can I improve my daily diet and exercise routine?
• Is my A1C number (the test done by my doctor every 3 months) under control?
• Are my morning blood sugar and after-meal blood sugar numbers under control?
• Is adding another medicine to my current oral diabetes medication right for me?

What to tell your doctor before taking Onglyza

It is important to tell your doctor about all of your medical conditions including if you...:

• Have type 1 diabetes as Onglyza should not be used to treat people with type 1 diabetes
• Have a history of or are at risk for diabetic ketoacidosis (high levels of certain acids known as ketones in the blood or urine). Onglyza should not be used for the treatment of diabetic ketoacidosis.
• Have kidney problems, as your doctor may need to adjust your dose of Onglyza
• Are taking insulin, as Onglyza has not been studied with insulin.
• Are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if Onglyza will harm your unborn baby. If you are pregnant, talk with your doctor about the best way to control your blood sugar while you are pregnant
• Are breast-feeding or plan to breast-feed. Onglyza may be passed in your milk to your baby. Talk with your doctor about the best way to feed your baby while you take Onglyza.
• Take other prescription or non-prescription medicines, vitamins or herbal supplements. Onglyza may affect the way other medicines work and other medicines may affect how Onglyza works.
• Will be starting or stopping medications such as antibiotics or medicines that treat fungus or HIV/AIDS because your dose of Onglyza might need to be changed.

Diabetes terms

Below are some of the terms your doctor may use. It may be helpful to refer to this page when talking with your doctor and other members of your healthcare team (diabetes nurse educator, dietitian, certified diabetes educator, etc.).

• A1C — Reflects a 3-month average of your blood sugar. This reading is done at your doctor's office or at a lab.
• Glucose — Also known as blood sugar, glucose is primarily made from the food you eat.
• FPG — The abbreviation for fasting plasma glucose. In an FPG test, a person's blood glucose is measured first thing in the morning when the person hasn't eaten for at least 8 hours. A reading of between 70 and 110 mg/dL is considered normal. Ask your doctor what your goal should be.
• Insulin — A natural hormone in the body that helps metabolize sugar.
• Liver — The organ in your body that, among other things, produces blood sugar.
• Pancreas — The organ in your body responsible for making insulin.
• PPG — The abbreviation for postprandial glucose, or your blood sugar level after meals. A reading of below 180 mg/dL is considered normal. Ask your doctor what your goal should be.

Your doctor is the single best source of information regarding your health. Please consult your doctor if you have any questions about your health or your medicine, or if you experience any side effects of your medications.