There are many different medications for diabetes. These include oral medications such as metformin, or medications that have to be injected, such as insulin , Trulicity , Mounjaro , Ozempic , Victoza or Byetta and others . They all lower blood sugar levels. But they work differently and are not always compatible with each other.
Trulicity and insulin are both injectables for diabetes, but they are different. So what is Trulicity? And what is insulin ? What are the differences and similarities between these two diabetes injectables? Can you take both at the same time? Is one better than the other?
Insulin - What is it?
Insulin is a natural hormone produced in the pancreas . It ensures that the body can use sugar from the blood as energy. If the body cannot produce insulin (type 1) or insulin does not work (type 2), insulin must be added from outside.
Insulin is a standard treatment for people with diabetes. Insulin injections help the body move sugar from the blood into the cells. The cells then use the sugar as energy or store it.
There are more than 20 different types of insulin. Long-acting basal insulins act on fasting blood sugar between meals and overnight, while short-acting bolus insulins act on blood sugar levels after meals.
And what is Trulicity?
Trulicity is the brand name of dulaglutide , a GLP-1 agonist. It is an injectable medication used to treat type 2 diabetes. Like insulin, it lowers blood sugar and treats diabetes - but in a different way.
Dulaglutide blocks the release of glucagon, a hormone made by the pancreas that increases blood sugar levels, and helps stimulate the pancreas' natural production of insulin . Therefore, Trulicity is only suitable for people with type 2 diabetes who still have functioning pancreatic cells that produce insulin.
It is not effective in type 1 diabetes, where the body can no longer produce any insulin. The manufacturer of Trulicity is Eli Lilly GmbH . It is sold as a single-use preparation.
Other diabetes medications
While insulin is the only therapy to control blood sugar levels in type 1 diabetes, there are more injectable medications available to treat type 2 diabetes.
Trulicity is one of these diabetes medications, but it is not the only one . Other diabetes injections used to lower blood sugar levels in people with type 2 diabetes include:
- Mounjaro (Tirzepatid)
- Trulicity (dulaglutide)
- Ozempic (semaglutide)
- Byetta (exenatide)
- Victoza (liraglutide)
- Symlin (Pramlintid)
- Lixisenatide (Adlyxin)
- Other
Most of them belong to the class of GLP-1 agonists (glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists) and work like Trulicity. They mimic a natural hormone (glucagon-like peptide 1) that stimulates insulin secretion.
In Germany, the most commonly prescribed type 2 diabetes medication is metformin , which is taken orally.
Insulin or Trulicity: What are the differences?
Trulicity and insulin are two completely different things. Although they are both given through subcutaneous injections and are used to treat the symptoms of high blood sugar in diabetes, they do not work in the same way . However, in some cases, they can be taken together and complement each other.
Whether you should take insulin, Trulicity, or both depends on your type of diabetes, your HbA1c level, your lifestyle, diet, and other factors. Only your doctor can decide which diabetes therapy is best for you.
Here are the key differences between Trulicity and insulin:
Trulicity is only suitable for type 2 diabetes
Trulicity works differently than insulin. While insulin moves sugar from the blood into the cells, Trulicity increases the release of insulin.
In type 1 diabetes, the body does not produce insulin. Therefore, people with type 1 diabetes must take insulin. A type 1 diabetic cannot take Trulicity because their body does not produce insulin
There are various medications for type 2 diabetes, such as metformin, GLP-1 agonists such as Trulicity, insulin and others. Most people with type 2 diabetes can still produce their own insulin, so unlike people with type 1 diabetes, they do not always need to take insulin. You may be prescribed:
- Metformin (taken orally, improves the way the body uses insulin and reduces the amount of sugar produced and absorbed by the body)
- GPL-1 drugs such as Trulicity (taken by subcutaneous injections, stimulate natural insulin secretion)
- Other diabetes medications
In some cases, such as when patients with type 2 diabetes are diagnosed with insulin resistance , additional insulin injections may also help improve blood sugar control.
Insulin is taken daily
Trulicity only needs to be injected once a week, whereas insulin needs to be injected daily. Insulin needs to be injected daily or several times a day. Trulicity is only given once a week.
Different side effects
When considering a new diabetes treatment, you also need to think about the side effects. Trulicity and insulin share some side effects, but also have specific side effects.
Both Trulicity and insulin can cause hypoglycemia, which can cause a variety of symptoms, including weakness, tremors, sweating, irritability, and hunger.
Severe hypoglycemia occurs mainly with insulin, less frequently with Trulicity.
Trulicity may cause side effects not seen with insulin therapy. Possible side effects include nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, loss of appetite, diarrhea, constipation, flatulence, heartburn, and others.
Can you take Trulicity and insulin together?
Yes, you can take Trulicity and insulin together. Trulicity can be taken alone or with insulin for type 2 diabetes. However, the combination of both treatments can lead to hypoglycemia , so the insulin dose usually needs to be adjusted.
Only your doctor can decide whether you should take insulin, Trulicity, or both together to treat type 2 diabetes. Never replace your diabetes treatment without your doctor's advice.
Do you take Trulicity, insulin or both? What are your experiences with these two diabetes medications? Feel free to write to us in the comments section below!
