Never miss a diabetes dose again
The friendly app that remembers your diabetes medicines and insulin, keeps your checks on schedule, and nudges you before refills run low.
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Today
Tuesday, 12 May
3 of 4 done today
🔥 12-day streakMetformin 500mg
8:00 AM · taken
Insulin
12:30 PM · due now
Check blood sugar
6:00 PM
Refill Metformin
Order in 3 days
How PillPal helps with diabetes
Diabetes has a lot of moving parts. PillPal quietly keeps them all on track.
Medicine & insulin reminders
A gentle nudge at the right times, so tablets and injections never get missed or doubled up.
Refill nudges
A heads up before you run low, so you're never caught short of medicine or insulin.
Checks & appointments
Reminders for your HbA1c, eye and foot checks. The ones that are easiest to forget.
Diabetes, day to day
The basics
Diabetes means there's too much glucose (sugar) in your blood, because your body either can't make enough insulin or can't use it properly. Insulin is the hormone that lets glucose move out of your blood and into your cells for energy.
There are two main types. In type 1, the body makes little or no insulin, so insulin has to be taken every day, usually from a young age. In type 2, which is far more common, the body still makes some insulin but doesn't respond to it well; it's often managed with lifestyle changes and tablets, and sometimes insulin later on. The day-to-day goal is the same: keeping blood glucose in a healthy range.
You'll hear a lot about HbA1c. This is a blood test, usually done a few times a year, that reflects your average blood glucose over roughly the last three months. Your daily readings are the weather; HbA1c is the climate, the bigger picture your diabetes team uses to see how things are going.
Your medicines
Most people take more than one. Here's what the common types broadly do. This is general information; your diabetes team chooses what's right for you.
| Medicine type | What it broadly does |
|---|---|
| Metformin | Usually the first tablet for type 2. Helps your body respond to insulin and lowers the glucose your liver makes. Taken with food. |
| Gliclazide | Prompts the body to release more of its own insulin. It can cause hypos, so timing with meals matters. |
| SGLT2 inhibitors | Help the body pass extra glucose out in your urine. Also have benefits for the heart and kidneys in some people. |
| DPP-4 inhibitors | Help your body make more insulin when your glucose is high, and less when it's not. Gentle on hypo risk. |
| GLP-1 | Injected, or sometimes a tablet. Slows digestion and helps control glucose and appetite, often with weight loss. |
| Insulin | Replaces or tops up the body's own insulin. Essential in type 1, and used in type 2 when needed. |
Names are examples only. Never start, stop or change a diabetes medicine, especially insulin, without your diabetes team.
Staying well day to day
Medicines do a lot of the work, but small daily habits matter too. Steady and sustainable beats perfect.
- Balanced meals. Regular meals with plenty of vegetables, some protein, and fewer sugary drinks and snacks help keep your glucose steadier.
- Stay active. Even a daily walk helps your body use insulin better. Anything that gets you moving counts.
- Don't skip doses. Taking your medicines consistently is the single biggest thing you can do to stay in range.
⚠️ Know the warning signs
A hypo (low blood sugar) can bring shakiness, sweating, confusion or feeling faint. Treat it quickly with sugar, and if someone becomes very drowsy or unconscious, call 999. A hyper (very high blood sugar) can cause extreme thirst, frequent weeing, tiredness and blurred vision. If you feel very unwell, are vomiting, breathless or drowsy, especially with type 1, seek urgent help via NHS 111, or 999 in an emergency.
PillPal supports your routine. It doesn't replace medical advice. Always follow your GP or diabetes team's instructions. For urgent advice call NHS 111; in an emergency call 999.
PillPal
The simple medication reminder & management app that helps you never miss a dose.
Registered address
Office 14, 1564 Stratford Road,Hall Green, Birmingham,
England, B28 9HA