Drug therapy of diabetes mellitus.

Three rules should be observed in using oral hypoglycemic agents: (1) They must never be given to patients who have acetone in the urine. (2) They should be used only in conjunction with a diabetic diet, routine urine testing for sugar and acetone, periodic blood sugar measurements (fasting and two-hour postprandial), and physician guidance. (3) No patient should be treated with an oral hypoglycemic agent if better regulation of the diabetes by insulin is possible and practical.