Questions on Anti-diabetic agents. pls help.

[Liz21]

1. What drug classifications are considered anti-diabetic agents?

2. What type of insulin should be given IV or in case of hyperglycemia?

3. What is a sliding scale? Could you please give an EXAMPLE.

4. If a patient received a rapid acting and intermediate acting insulin at 0730 - when should they be assessed for a possible insulin reaction?

5. What is the difference between mechanism of action for the various oral hypoglycemic agents?

THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THOSE WHO ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS !

[JentheRN05, RN]

These are standard questions - I would suggest looking them up. It will help you learn them better

[allthingsbright]

I agree-I have an exam this week on this kind of stuff and it is STRAIGHT out of my med surg textbook.

You could always do a search online if you dont have access to your books. Type in Diabetes Mellitus and you will find ALL kinds of info...

GL!

[Daytonite, BSN, RN]

hi, liz21!

i'm giving you a number of links that i just checked myself. among them you will find the answers to your questions. you might want to either bookmark or print some of the information at these websites because it will come up again when you study diabetes in your nursing classes (if you are not already in nursing classes). i also gave you a link to a very nice patient teaching site for diabetes.

http://www.globalrph.com/diabetes.htm - this is a list of anti-diabetic medications by their classifications. it also includes their brand names and normal dosages from global rph.com. there is a discussion about glucagon toward the bottom of the page. mechanisms of action for some of the classifications is also presented.

http://www.fpnotebook.com/end148.htm - about insulin agents

http://www.fpnotebook.com/end154.htm - about insulin infusion (insulin mixed in iv fluid and infused over time)

http://www.fpnotebook.com/end152.htm - see the section on "bolus insulin" (ii.b.2). this would be insulin given by iv push method (this would be done for immediate treatment of hyperglycemia)

http://flightline.highline.edu/drydberg/diabetes_medications.htm - very nicely arranged tables of diabetic medications that includes dose, actions and precautions. also a table that summarizes the insulins and their onset of action, peak action and duration.

http://medicine.ucsf.edu/housestaff/handbook/hosph2002_c9.htm#_insulin_sliding_scale - although this is a physician policy for resident physicians at ucsf, it indicates the way sliding scale insulin orders would be written for the nurses to carry out. it also lists the type of insulin that would be ordered for this.

http://www.fpnotebook.com/end156.htm - about the use of sliding scale insulin including guidelines

http://www.mc.vanderbilt.edu/root/vumc.php?site=diabetes_clinic&doc=5555 - "learn about diabetes" from vanderbilt eskind diabetes center