Dr. Cyrus Desouza, MBBS, tells us a little about himself and talks about his work investigating the relationship between cardiovascular disease and diabetes. He is particularly interested in how diabetes drugs affect the cardiovascular system.

Dr. Cyrus Desouza, MBBS, talks about the cardiovascular side effects of newer classes of drugs. SGLT2 inhibitors are still relatively new so there is not much information but they do show some weight loss effects, seem to lower blood pressure, and may have some CV benefits. However, we don’t know what they …

Dr. Cyrus Desouza, MBBS, addresses the controversy around TZD’s especially Avandia. He notes that the initial research in animal models seemed to preserve beta function, raised adiponectin levels, improved endothelial function,and showed beneficial effects on BP. Hoever, with pioglitazone, a debate began on whether they were protective or not because of a retrospective study. …

Dr. Cyrus Desouza, MBBS, discusses why he prescribes Actos, a thiazolidinedione. But he says there are some issues with this kind of drug, particularly weight gain. He does not prescribe actos to patients with high BMI’s and is also cautious because of bladder cancer concerns. Many patients are aware of these issues …

Dr. Cyrus Desouza, MBBS, talks about why he is waiting a little longer before regularly prescribing sodium glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors. As an endocrinologist, he feels that, because he deals with very ill patients, it is incumbent upon him that he must also be more careful using a new drug.

Dr. Cyrus Desouza, MBBS, talks about the newest drug class, the sodium glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors. He does not regularly prescribe them at this point but if a patient requests a drug he will always research it. He will then discuss the drug and its side effects with his …

Dr. Cyrus Desouza, MBBS, reveals the dark secret behind why patients still use sulfonylureas. Although very effective inititally, the drug is only effective for a limited amount of time and there is beta cell burnout. Dr. Desouza tries not to start patients on sulfonylureas as a second-line; instead he’d rather start with basal …

Dr. Cyrus Desouza, MBBS, talks about the GLP-1s, of which several are already in the market with more in the pipeline. He believes that his is really an exciting class of drugs, particularly because of the weight loss effect, which is a big deal for patients. In addition, there may be …

Dr. Cyrus Desouza, MBBS, discusses cycloset, a new formulation of bromocriptine which has actually been around a long time. It has a similar story to metformin in that it’s been around a while so part of the reason it’s not more prescribed, he believes, is because it’s not a brand-new drug. Cycloset is …

Dr. Cyrus Desouza, MBBS, gives us some insight into how to promote better care and lifestyle changes in our patients. Improving patient participation and encouraging them to care for their own disease is key. Peer support has been known to improve diabetes patients’ health as well as group clinics, peer counseling, and having diabetes …