11. Check tablet strength. Another money-saving tip: Ask the doctor to prescribe the largest tablet strength suitable for the dose the patient needs. For example, a 500-milligram pill often costs much less than two 250-mg tablets. Use a pill splitter, available at drugstores, to cut the larger tablet into the appropriate dose (halves or quarters). One word of caution: Some extended-release drugs don't work properly if they're split, so always check with the pharmacist or doctor before cutting tablets.

12. Keep track of daily medications. Use a pillbox or some other system to keep track of daily drugs. Ask the pharmacist for suggestions and see our article "How to Help Someone With Diabetes Follow Medication Recommendations".

13. Throw out old drugs. Get rid of (by recycling if possible) outdated medications and those left over from prescriptions the person you're caring for no longer uses. Old drugs may lose their potency or interact with pills he's currently taking.

14. Know that drug types and dosages may need to change over time. Diabetes is a progressive condition, meaning it continues to change over time as a patient's insulin production steadily declines. The dose and type of pills most patients use to control the disease may need to be adjusted to reflect these bodily changes.

15. If at first you don't succeed. No one diabetes drug is best for every person, and what works for one person may not work for another. A patient's main diabetes doctor and others on his team can help him find diabetes medicines that best meet his overall treatment goals.