Guide: medicines
Supplements and Diabetes Medicines: Lows, Interactions and What to Tell Your Doctor
Supplements and diabetes medicines can stack. Chromium, gymnema and ginseng may add to insulin or a sulfonylurea such as glipizide and push blood sugar too low, under 70 mg/dL for many people. The American Diabetes Association warns about this mix. Show every supplement label to your doctor or pharmacist first, and never change a prescription on your own.
Written by the Sugar Defender label deskUpdated
How they mix01
How can supplements affect diabetes medicines?
Some supplements may add to diabetes medicines, so the two together can drop glucose further than the medicine alone. The ADA warns that this can cause lows (ADA, Vitamins & Supplements).
The risk is highest with insulin, sulfonylureas and meglitinides, the drug groups NIDDK names as causes of lows (NIDDK, Low Blood Glucose).
Supplement labels rarely say how much of each herb they hold, which makes the size of the effect hard to guess.
| Ingredient | What sources say | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Chromium | May add to insulin and other diabetes drugs, raising the chance of a low | NIH ODS (NIH ODS, Chromium) |
| Gymnema | Studied for fasting glucose; may add to diabetes medicines | Monograph (Drugs.com, Gymnema monograph) |
| Asian ginseng | Might drop blood sugar; people with diabetes should ask a provider | NCCIH (NCCIH, Asian Ginseng) |
| African mango | Caution with antidiabetic drugs, based on rat data | MSK (MSKCC, Irvingia gabonensis (African mango)) |
| Astragalus | Low-quality studies hint at added glucose effect with metformin | NCCIH (NCCIH, Astragalus) |
Insulin02
Can you take a blood sugar supplement with insulin?
Only after your doctor agrees. Insulin can cause lows by itself, and supplements with chromium, gymnema or ginseng may add to diabetes medicines like it (NIH ODS, Chromium).
Sugar Defender's label asks anyone taking any other medication to consult a physician before use.
If your doctor says yes, plan extra meter checks for the first weeks and write each number down.
Insulin doses are set to match food and activity. Anything that adds to its effect, even a little, can tip a normal day into a low. Your care team may want to adjust timing or doses, and only they should.
Sulfonylureas03
Which supplements may interact with glipizide?
Supplements that may add to diabetes medicines, such as chromium, gymnema and ginseng, are the ones to ask about with glipizide, a sulfonylurea.
Sulfonylureas can cause lows on their own (NIDDK, Low Blood Glucose), so even a small added push matters.
Glyburide is another drug in the same group. The same caution applies.
Chromium
Glucose studies used 200-1,000 mcg a day (NIH ODS, Chromium). Sugar Defender lists 0.7 mcg per mL.
Gymnema
Trials used 200-400 mg a day of extract (Drugs.com, Gymnema monograph). In the drops it is 8th of 22, at most 25 mg per mL.
Panax ginseng
A modest fasting glucose drop in trials (Shishtar et al., PLoS One 2014). In the drops it is 12th of 22, at most about 17 mg per mL.
Small amounts lower the odds of a big effect but do not rule one out. Read more on the gymnema page.
Low blood sugar04
Can supplements cause low blood sugar with diabetes medicines?
Yes, some supplements can cause low blood sugar when taken with diabetes medicines, the ADA says (ADA, Vitamins & Supplements).
A low is often under 70 mg/dL. It can make you shaky, sweaty, hungry, dizzy or confused, with a fast heartbeat (NIDDK, Low Blood Glucose).
Know the 15-15 step before you start anything new.
- Shaky or jitteryTrembling hands, feeling nervous
- Sweaty, chillsClammy skin out of nowhere
- Hungry, nauseousSudden strong hunger
- Dizzy, confusedTrouble thinking or speaking clearly
- Fast heartbeatPounding or racing pulse
15-15For many people with diabetes, a reading under 70 mg/dL is a low. Take 15-20 g of fast carbohydrate (juice, glucose tablets), then recheck after 15 minutes.
Call 911If a person with a low passes out, has a seizure or cannot swallow safely. Never give food or drink to a person who is unconscious.
Signs and steps follow NIDDK (NIDDK, Low Blood Glucose). Insulin, sulfonylureas and meglitinides can cause lows, and supplements may add to them (ADA, Vitamins & Supplements).
Metformin05
Can you stop metformin if you take a supplement?
No. Supplements are not a substitute for diabetes medicines, and NCCIH says not to replace medical treatment with an unproven product (NCCIH, Diabetes and Dietary Supplements).
Metformin has trial proof: it cut type 2 risk by 31% in the Diabetes Prevention Program (NIDDK, Diabetes Prevention Program).
No published trial has tested Sugar Defender at all.
Take every prescription exactly as written. Do not skip, cut or pause a dose because of a supplement. Only the doctor who prescribed it should change it.
The FDA has warned companies that sell supplements claiming to treat diabetes (FDA, Illegally Sold Diabetes Treatments). If an ad hints that you can drop your pills, treat that as a reason to walk away.
Sugar Defender: from $49 a bottle60 mL · 1 mL a day · 2, 3 or 6 bottles · free US shipping on 3 or 6 · 60-day guarantee
See packsThe conversation06
Should you tell your doctor about supplements?
Yes, always tell your doctor and pharmacist about supplements, because they can only check for clashes with diabetes medicines they know about.
The FDA advises talking to a doctor, pharmacist or other health professional before using a supplement (FDA, Using Dietary Supplements).
Bring the bottle or a photo of the Supplement Facts panel, not just the brand name.
List everything
Prescriptions, over-the-counter pills, vitamins, herbs and drops, with the dose and time of each.
Show the label
Point out the blend and its order. Your pharmacist can judge an ingredient's likely share from its place in the list.
Ask three questions
Could this add to my diabetes medicine? Should I check my meter more often? What signs mean I should stop and call you?
Set a review date
Agree on when to look at your meter log together, such as after 30 days.
Beyond diabetes drugs07
Which other medicines can supplement blends affect?
Supplement blends can also touch medicines beyond diabetes drugs. Several lines on the Sugar Defender label carry known cautions.
The amounts in the drops are hidden, so treat each item below as a question for your pharmacist, not a verdict.
- Thyroid medicine: chromium may reduce levothyroxine absorption (NIH ODS, Chromium)
- Statins and heart-rhythm drugs: grapefruit can raise levels of some of them (FDA, Grapefruit juice and drugs)
- Blood pressure: the licorice compound can raise pressure in large or long-term use (NCCIH, Licorice Root)
- Blood thinners: guarana and ginseng may affect bleeding or clotting (MSKCC, Guarana) (NCCIH, Asian Ginseng)
- Digoxin: eleuthero raised digoxin levels in a case report (MSKCC, Siberian Ginseng (Eleuthero))
- Antidepressants: L-tryptophan needs advice with serotonin drugs and MAO inhibitors (Drugs.com, L-tryptophan)
The drops08
Is Sugar Defender safe with diabetes medicines?
No one can say Sugar Defender is safe with diabetes medicines, because the drops have not been studied with them or alone.
Its label asks anyone on other medication to consult a physician first, and it lists chromium, gymnema and ginseng.
The label lines below are the ones to read aloud to your pharmacist.
- Chromium (as chromium picolinate), 0.7 mcg per mL
- Gymnema, 8th of 22 in the blend
- Panax ginseng, 12th of 22 in the blend
- Guarana and green tea, both caffeine sources
A five-question check is on who should not take Sugar Defender, and every caution is on Sugar Defender side effects.
FAQ09
What do people ask about supplements and medicines?
People most often ask: Can I take a blood sugar supplement with insulin? The short answer, and 5 more, open below.
Each answer starts with the direct reply, then the reason, with a source where one exists.
Can I take a blood sugar supplement with insulin?
Only with your doctor's approval. Insulin can cause lows on its own, and chromium may add to the effect of insulin and other diabetes drugs (NIH ODS, Chromium). If your doctor agrees, check your meter more often at first and log each reading.
Can supplements cause low blood sugar?
Yes, some can when combined with diabetes medicines, the American Diabetes Association warns (ADA, Vitamins & Supplements). The risk is highest with insulin, sulfonylureas and meglitinides (NIDDK, Low Blood Glucose). Learn the signs of a low and keep fast sugar on hand.
Which supplements interact with glipizide?
Ingredients that may add to diabetes medicines, such as chromium, gymnema and ginseng, are the main ones to ask about (NIH ODS, Chromium) (NCCIH, Asian Ginseng). Glipizide is a sulfonylurea, a group that can cause lows by itself. Your pharmacist can check any label against it.
Should I tell my doctor about supplements?
Yes, every time. The FDA advises talking with a doctor or pharmacist before using a supplement (FDA, Using Dietary Supplements), and they cannot spot a clash with your medicines unless they know. Bring the bottle or a clear photo of its label.
Can I stop metformin if I take a supplement?
No. Metformin stays in your routine as written. NCCIH warns against swapping medical treatment for an unproven product (NCCIH, Diabetes and Dietary Supplements), and no supplement has matched metformin's trial results. Only your doctor should change the dose.
What do I do if my sugar drops too low?
Take 15-20 g of fast carbohydrate, such as juice or glucose tablets, then recheck in 15 minutes, per NIDDK (NIDDK, Low Blood Glucose). If a person with a low faints, has a seizure or cannot swallow safely, call 911. Then call your doctor.
Who wrote this10
Who wrote and reviewed this Sugar Defender guide?
The Sugar Defender label desk wrote it from the label, the sales page and linked public sources.
A medical reviewer's name goes in the box below once a review is on file.
Pages built from the label, the sales page and linked NIH, FDA, CDC, FTC and peer-reviewed sources.
Last updated . See our editorial standards and how we check reviews. This website is run by a U.S. authorized Sugar Defender merchant, not by the manufacturer or the label distributor. We are paid when you buy through our order links.
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