Meglitinides are a group of pills that can be used to treat type 2 diabetes that cannot be controlled by exercise and diet alone.

These antidiabetic agents lower glucose (blood sugar) by increasing insulin levels in patients in response to meals. Insulin is a hormone that carries glucose from the bloodstream into the cells, where it is used for energy. Patients with type 2 diabetes have cells that are resistant to insulin, leading to a buildup of glucose in the blood.

Meglitinides are one of several classes of diabetes pills used to lower glucose. Like sulfonylureas, meglitinides stimulate the production of insulin. However, they work much faster than sulfonylureas. Often, patients who use meglitinides can vary the number of meals and times they eat more easily than with some other antidiabetic agents. In addition, meglitinides help keep a patient's after-meal glucose level in the normal range. The drug stimulates insulin production only in response to glucose levels.

Meglitinides can be taken up to 30 minutes before a meal. The drug’s effect peaks about an hour after it is taken, and it is gone from the bloodstream within three to four hours. Sulfonylureas remain in the bloodstream for much longer, where they continue to lower glucose.

Possible side effects include hypoglycemia and weight gain. Patients taking meglitinides may be advised to have blood tests of their liver function.