acarbose(Precose)
Alpha-glucosidase inhibitor
Pronunciation
/əˈkɑːrboʊs/
International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA). Say it aloud once — you will remember it forever.
At a glance
- Generic name
- acarbose
- Brand names
- Precose
- Therapeutic class
- Alpha-glucosidase inhibitor
- Mechanism (summary)
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Clinical pearls
- Take with the FIRST BITE of each main meal.
- Flatulence and diarrhea are common; usually improve over time.
- If on insulin or sulfonylurea, treat hypoglycemia with GLUCOSE tablets/gel - NOT table sugar (sucrose), which alpha-glucosidase blocks.
- Limited glycemic effect (A1c reduction ~0.5-0.8%).
- Avoid in IBD, partial bowel obstruction, cirrhosis.
Sources
See how acarbose appears in NAPLEX-style questions
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