The most common cause of medication-induced hypoglycemia is improper management of diabetes. Missing meals, overexertion, and intentional or unintentional overdose of medications used to treat the condition can all cause blood glucose levels to drop.
Medications that can cause hypoglycemia include insulin and sulfonylureas. Newer drugs for diabetes such as metformin (Glucophage) can also cause hypoglycemia when used in combination with sulfonylureas. The condition may also occur when a nondiabetic individual takes insulin or a sulfonylurea drug.
Other drugs such as pentamidine can also occasionally induce hypoglycemia. Rarer causes of low blood glucose include the use of quinidine, quinine, beta-blocker drugs, MAO inhibitors (a type of antidepressant), Bactrim (an antibiotic), and haloperidol.
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