Pramlintide: Curbs After-Meal Highs

Pramlintide

If you take insulin and struggle with blood glucose spikes after meals, you might want to consider pramlintide, sold under the brand name Symlin.

Approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in March 2005, pramlintide is a synthetic analog of amylin, a hormone secreted with insulin by the beta cells of the pancreas. In several studies, pramlintide has been shown to lower A1C levels and possibly promote weight loss.

"Drugs such as this can help my patients achieve better A1Cs, but not without proper education," says Mark Erlebacher, M.D., an internist from Fayetteville, New York. So make sure you understand the drug and how to use it before starting.