Can Diabetes Be Caused by Pharmaceutical Drugs?

There are many factors that are leading causes of the epidemic of diabetes. Chief among these causes are over-consumption of sugar, high fructose corn syrups in many over-processed “foods,” and over-prescription of some drugs. “What? What was that last item? You you saying certain drugs can cause diabetes?” Well, the article at the link below makes just that claim!

Is diabetes caused by pharmaceuticals?

“On July 31st, Patrick Bills filed a lawsuit against Bristol-Myers Squibb claiming that its drug, Tequin, the brand name of gatafloxacin, caused his diabetes. The New England Journal of Medicine reported on March 30, 2006 that gatifloxacin causes both hypo- and hyperglycemia, the precursor of diabetes. Is this drug unique, or is it possible that many drugs increase the chance of this debilitating and fatal disease? The number of people becoming diabetic is increasing dramatically. According to Express Scripts, in the U.S. it doubled in 5-19 year olds between 2002 and 2005. In a study for the Financial Times, Medco found that type 2 diabetes more than doubled in children between 2001 and 2005. The most common explanation for this very troubling increase is that it’s dietary, the result of eating too much and eating unhealthy food. Is this, though, the only reason? Atypical antipsychotics, modern drugs used to control symptoms of schizophrenia, are known to cause diabetes—but is it possible that other drugs do, too? Could it be that unnecessary prescribing is a factor in the explosive increase in diabetes? Jeni Dingman, founder of PULSE America (Persons United Limiting Substandards and Errors in Healthcare), responds, ‘There has been an alarming increase in children taking medications. It makes someone wonder if there’s a link.’

These commonly prescribed drugs have the chemical characteristic that may cause diabetes:

* Antibiotics: penicillins, cephalosporins, erythomycin
* Tranquilizers: barbiturates, benzodiazepines (such as Valium)
* Others: syntocinon (labor inducer), ergometrine (stops postpartum bleeding), acetaminophen (Tylenol)

Dr. Landymore-Lim says that she is unaware of any studies to determine whether these drugs can be definitively implicated for inducing diabetes. Her research documents how such drugs may induce diabetes and that areas in which they are prescribed more have a higher incidence of diabetes Ultimately, though, it will require funding and the cooperation of the medical profession to provide the research needed to definitively document whether these common drugs cause diabetes.

The diabetes epidemic may be partially caused by the medical profession’s overuse of drugs. How can parents protect their children against unnecessary or dangerous prescriptions? Jeni Dingman suggests, ‘My advice is that everyone should be very informed as a patient. You should never take anything you’re told by your medical professional at face value when it concerns medication. Always learn for yourself by using the internet and going to the website of the companies that make the medications and learn all about side effects, interactions, and other potential problems with medications.'”