What is the best medicine for diabetes?

Which type?: There are different types of diabetes. People with type 1 need Insulin right away. Type 2 patients can start with oral meds, such as metformin. Other meds may need to be added, and many type 2s eventually need insulin.

Depends: Every medication has its own pros and cons, and the risk-benefit relationship changes depending on the patient. So the best diabetes med for you may be different from the best diabetes med for your neighbor.

Many options: I assume you have type 2 diabetes. In this day and age, the best diabetes medications are those that do not cause you to gain weight or retain fluids. These are newer medications and are still not generic but they treat both diabetes and are weight-neutral/loss: metformin/byetta/victoza/januvia/onglyza/tradjenta. See your doctor to see if you are a suitable candidate for any of these drugs.