Take Care When Choosing Over-the-Counter Drugs

Many over-the-counter (OTC) medications, such as cough syrup, cold and flu remedies, and antacids, contain sugar and/or alcohol, which may create blood glucose control problems for your parent with type 2 diabetes. One dose of cough syrup probably isn't going to raise your parent's blood glucose to problematic levels, but if he's taking it every four hours or so, the sugar can add up. On the other hand, OTC drugs that contain alcohol can lower blood glucose levels. So it's wise to read medication labels and look for drugs that are labeled "sugar-free" and "alcohol-free." Or ask your parent's doctor or pharmacist to recommend a product that's right for your parent.