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Oral medications are better than insulin

Oral diabetes medications can be great when it comes to lowering blood glucose levels. Many have been used for years and are very safe, such as metformin.

Still, they don’t work for everyone. "For some people, insulin is the easiest and best because it always works, but some people respond to pills, and others don’t," says Dr. Crandall.

Not all oral medications have a tried-and-true safety record. For example, Avandia was restricted by the FDA because of research suggesting that it ups the risk of heart attack.

Next: Insulin will make you gain weight