There are many medicines for common illness, like colds, flu, upset stomach, heartburn and others, but the person that is a diabetic will need to carefully read the package labels of over the counter medications. This is because many contain glucose or sugar, especially children’s medications for colds, flu, allergies and upset stomach.

The amount of sugar contained in many of these medications is enough to cause problems with the diabetic’s blood glucose and when continued using the medication can even be dangerous. For this reason in many cases it makes more sense to contact the physician for either prescription medication or a safe over the counter medication that can be used for the illness.