Q: I am a 34 years old male have diabetes for the last three years. Now, the doctor prescribed me vildagliptin, which is very effective. When I take this medicine my glucose level is quiet normal irrespective of any food. Is it safe to take this medicine? As the medicine has not yet been approved by FDA.

A:Vildagliptin is a relatively newer anti-diabetic agent. It should be taken only when either metformin alone or in combination with another agent from the sulphonylurea class (such as glibenclamide, gliclazide, glimepiride etc) is not controlling blood sugar adequately. In other words use of vildagliptin is recommended only when metformin + sulphonylurea is not able to control blood sugar. It is always better to use old, conventional, well tried and tested medicines. With new agents, all the side effects are not known in the initial years. As per experience with other new medicines, new, serious adverse effects are found in at least 20% of such introduction in the first five years. As of date some of the known side effects of vildagliptin that may be seen in some patients are: tremors, headache, dizziness, nausea, fatigue and urticaria.