A health care professional is caring for a patient who is about to begin acarbose (Precose) therapy to treat type 2 diabetes mellitus. Which of the following instructions should the health care professional include when talking with the patient about the drug?

a) Take acarbose with an empty stomach
b) Rapidly increase carbohydrate intake
c) Skip doses if blood sugar is within the target range
d) Chew the acarbose tablet thoroughly with the first bite of each main meal