Most clinicians I work with or have chatted with want to get their patients in optimal control of their glucose levels. We all work hard to find that right combination of medication, food choices, and physical activity that will achieve our patients' goals. This means that we ask patients to make changes that they are not always willing to do, and more importantly not willing to continue long term.

This lack of consistency is often seen with medication adherence as many patients quit taking some or all of their medications for various reasons. Because of this we as clinicians are often swayed in our medication selections as we realize that even the best medications have no chance of working if our patients won't take them.

Last month we talked about Getting Your Patients on Track with GLP-1 Analogs and shared some tips from clinicians who have had great experiences with using them.

This month we have spoken to some of our clinician readers and asked them to share how they keep their patients on track once they have started on GLP-1 analog therapy.

This first of seven sets of Homerun Slides begins with GLP-1 physiology, then examines the actions of DPP-4 inhiitors and GLP-1R agonists, plus....

Topics covered include the clinical effects of GLP-1 agonists and DPP-4 inhibitors stemming from incretin action, and the role of glucagon in glucose intolerance and effects of GLP-1 based drugs on plasma glucagon....

For nearly 2 decades now, GLP-1 has been heavily investigated as the most promising therapy target in type 2 diabetes patients....

Patients more likely to reach A1c target at any given time during 26 weeks' treatment with liraglutide compared with both sitagliptin and exenatide....

Obese individuals completed a 1-year study and lost a mean 35.6% of excess body weight taking….

The top three drugs for the reduction of A1c levels are biphasic insulin, glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) analogs, and….

Often times there can be difficulty getting approval for the patient to use a GLP-1 analog and so the patient may miss a few days of the medication and possibly decide they don't want to continue. I have gotten in the habit of ordering the medication from the pharmacy the same day that I give them their first month sample. This way the pharmacy can make sure they get the prescription ready before the patient actually needs it and if a prior authorization is needed I can make sure there is plenty of time for the process to occur....

I have been using GLP-1 analogs with my patients for the past five years and have seen many patients find reasons to stop using the medication. They complain about nausea, they complain about the cost, they say the needle hurts and they have even told me that they can't get their money's worth on a cruise because they are unable to eat enough....

The pathophysiology of type 2 diabetes mellitus is complex, consisting of far more physiologic defects than simple insulin resistance and beta-cell dysfunction....

There has been an increased use of GLP-1 analogs in patients with diabetes over the past two years as the advent of daily dosing has made medication adherence simpler and more clinicians are comfortable with the available choices.