If you think you might be developing diabetes but are nervous about a trip to the doctor, it might seem like a good idea to pick up an over-the-counter remedy that promises to regulate your blood sugar and prevent or cure the disease. This is, in fact, a terrible idea: these remedies may make unproven claims or promise to cure you or replace prescribed medication. Stay away from these “remedies” that aren’t drugs at all.

Yes, there are natural ways to improve your condition if you have diabetes or pre-diabetes, but they involve changes to your diet and exercise routines. However, the best way to prevent potentially debilitating or life-threatening complications of diabetes is to follow the advice of your own health care professional, which may include pills or insulin injections.

“People with chronic or incurable diseases may feel desperate and become easy targets,” Commander Jason Humbert of the U.S. Public Health Service said in a statement from the Food and Drug Administration.. “Bogus products for diabetes are particularly troubling because there are effective options available to help manage this serious disease rather than exposing patients to unproven and unreasonably risky products.”

Much like erectile dysfunction “supplements,” diabetes supplements may contain actual approved or unapproved drugs that treat diabetes. The difference is that the substances in supplements may be actual drugs, meaning that the doses may be hard to control, they may interact poorly with other medications that the patient is taking, or the dosages may be inconsistent.

The best choice is real prescribed medication and following the real advice of your health care provider.

Beware of Illegally Marketed Diabetes Treatments [FDA]

Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.