question: What are the different classes of orally administered drugs used to treat diabetes
answer: There are a number of classes of medications tha are used to treat Type 2 diabetes. These include biguanides like metformin, which decreased hepatic glucose release; sulfonyureas like Glimepride, metglitinides like repaglin and d-phenylalanine derivatives, all of which stimulate pancreatic insulin release; Glitizones or thiazolidinediones which make the body more sensitive to insulin; DPP-4 inhibitors which lower the amount of glucose made in the body; alpha-glucosidase inhibitors which slow the absorbtion of carbohydrate in the blood; and bile acid sequestrants that lower blood glucose