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What is the most important information I should know about
glimepiride?
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Treatment with glimepiride may increase the risk of death from
cardiovascular disease compared to treatment of diabetes with diet alone
or diet plus insulin. Discuss with your doctor the risks and benefits of
treatment with glimepiride. |
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Know the signs and symptoms of low blood sugar (hypoglycemia), which
include headache, drowsiness, weakness, dizziness, fast heartbeat,
sweating, tremor, and nausea. Carry a piece of hard candy or glucose
tablets with you to treat episodes of low blood sugar. |
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Follow diet, medication, and exercise routines closely. Changing any
of them can affect your blood sugar levels. |
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Do not change your dose of glimepiride without first talking to your
doctor. |
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Avoid alcohol. It lowers blood sugar and may interfere with your
diabetes treatment. |
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Glimepiride is in a class of drugs called sulfonylureas. It is used
to help control blood sugar levels. |
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Glimepiride is used with diet and exercise to treat type 2 diabetes.
Insulin or metformin (Glucophage) may also be used in combination with
glimepiride, if necessary. |
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Glimepiride may also be used for purposes other than those listed in
this medication guide. |
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What should I discuss with my doctor before taking glimepiride?
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Before taking glimepiride, tell your doctor if you |
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have a serious infection, illness, or injury; or |
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You may not be able to take glimepiride, or you may require a dosage
adjustment or special monitoring during treatment if you have any of the
conditions listed above. |
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Patients 65 years of age and older may have a stronger reaction to
glimepiride and may require a reduced dose. |
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Glimepiride is in the FDA pregnancy category C. This means that it
is not known whether glimepiride will be harmful to an unborn baby.
Insulin is usually the drug of choice to control diabetes during
pregnancy. Do not take glimepiride without first talking to your doctor
if you are pregnant or could become pregnant during treatment. |
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It is not known whether glimepiride passes into breast milk. Do not
take glimepiride without first talking to your doctor if you are
breast-feeding a baby. |
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How should I take glimepiride?
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Take glimepiride exactly as directed by your doctor. If you do not
understand these instructions, ask your pharmacist, nurse, or doctor to
explain them to you. |
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Take each dose with a full glass of water. |
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Glimepiride is usually taken once a day, with breakfast or the first
main meal. Follow your doctor's instructions. |
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It is important to take glimepiride regularly to get the most
benefit. |
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Your healthcare provider may recommend regular monitoring of blood
sugar levels with blood or urine tests. |
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Do not change your dose of glimepiride without first talking to your
doctor. |
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Store glimepiride at room temperature away from moisture and heat. |
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What happens if I miss a dose?
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Take the missed dose as soon as you remember. However, if it is
almost time for the next dose, skip the missed dose and take only the
next regularly scheduled dose. Do not take a double dose of this
medication. |
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What happens if I overdose?
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Seek emergency medical attention. |
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Symptoms of a glimepiride overdose include hunger, nausea, anxiety,
cold sweats, weakness, drowsiness, unconsciousness, and coma. |
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What should I avoid while taking glimepiride?
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Follow diet, medication, and exercise routines closely. Changing any
of these things can effect your blood sugar levels. |
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Avoid alcohol. It lowers blood sugar and may interfere with your
diabetes treatment. |
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Tell your doctor and dentist that you are taking this medication
before you undergo any surgery. |
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Do not take any prescription, over-the-counter, or herbal cough,
cold, allergy, pain, or weight loss medications without first talking to
your doctor. |
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What are the possible side effects of glimepiride?
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Stop taking glimepiride and seek emergency medical attention if you
experience an allergic reaction (difficulty breathing; closing of your
throat; swelling of your lips, tongue, or face; or hives). |
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Other, less serious side effects from glimepiride result mostly from
blood sugar levels that are either too high or too low. You should be
familiar with the symptoms of both high and low blood sugar levels and
know how to treat both conditions. Also, be sure your family and close
friends know how to help you in an emergency situation. |
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Low blood sugar may occur when too much glimepiride is taken; when
meals are missed or delayed; if you exercise more than usual; during
illness, especially with vomiting or diarrhea; if you take other
medications; after drinking alcohol; and in other situations. |
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Hypoglycemia or Low blood sugar has the following symptoms: |
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difficulty concentrating. |
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Keep hard, sugary candy; chocolate; fruit juice; or glucose tablets
on hand to treat episodes of low blood sugar. |
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Increased blood sugar may occur when not enough glimepiride is taken;
if you eat significantly more food than usual; if you exercise less than
usual; if you take other medications; during fever or other illness; and
in other situations. |
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Hyperglycemia or High blood sugar has the following symptoms: |
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There may be an increased risk of death due to cardiovascular (heart
and blood vessels) complications with the use of glimepiride when
compared to the treatment of diabetes with diet or diet plus insulin.
The long-term use of glimepiride should be discussed with your doctor. |
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Side effects other than those listed here may also occur. Talk to
your doctor about any side effect that seems unusual or that is
especially bothersome. |
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What other drugs will affect glimepiride?
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Many other medicines may increase or decrease the effects of
glimepiride or affect your condition. Before taking glimepiride, tell
your doctor if you are taking any of the following medicines: |
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aspirin or another salicylate such as magnesium/ choline salicylate
(Trilisate), salsalate (Disalcid, others), choline salicylate (Arthropan),
magnesium salicylate (Magan), or bismuth subsalicylate (Pepto-Bismol); |
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a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) such as ibuprofen (Motrin,
Advil, Nuprin, others), ketoprofen (Orudis, Orudis KT, Oruvail),
diclofenac (Voltaren, Cataflam), etodolac (Lodine), indomethacin (Indocin),
nabumetone (Relafen), oxaprozin (Daypro), and naproxen (Anaprox,
Naprosyn, Aleve); |
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a sulfa-based drug such as sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim (Bactrim,
Septra), sulfisoxazole (Gantrisin), or sulfasalazine (Azulfidine); |
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a monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI) such as isocarboxazid (Marplan),
tranylcypromine (Parnate), or phenelzine (Nardil); |
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a beta-blocker such as propranolol (Inderal), atenolol (Tenormin),
acebutolol (Sectral), metoprolol (Lopressor), and others; |
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a diuretic (water pill) such as hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ,
Hydrodiuril), chlorothiazide (Diuril), and others; |
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a steroid medicine such as prednisone (Deltasone, Orasone, others),
methylprednisolone (Medrol, others), prednisolone (Prelone, Pediapred,
others), and others; |
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a phenothiazine such as chlorpromazine (Thorazine), fluphenazine (Prolixin,
Permitil), prochlorperazine (Compazine), promethazine (Phenergan), and
others; |
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rifampin (Rifadin, Rifamate); or |
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over-the-counter cough, cold, allergy, or weight loss medications. |
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You may require a dosage adjustment or special monitoring if you are
taking any of the medicines listed above. |
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Drugs other than those listed here may also interact with
glimepiride or affect your condition. Talk to your doctor and pharmacist
before taking any prescription or over-the-counter medicines, including
herbal products. |
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Where can I get more information?
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Your pharmacist has additional information about glimepiride written
for health professionals that you may read. |
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Remember, keep this and all other medicines out of the reach of
children, never share your medicines with others, and use this
medication only for the indication prescribed. |
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Every effort has been made to ensure that the information provided
by Cerner Multum, Inc. ('Multum') is accurate, up-to-date, and complete,
but no guarantee is made to that effect. Drug information contained
herein may be time sensitive. Multum information has been compiled for
use by healthcare practitioners and consumers in the United States and
therefore Multum does not warrant that uses outside of the United States
are appropriate, unless specifically indicated otherwise. Multum's drug
information does not endorse drugs, diagnose patients or recommend
therapy. Multum's drug information is an informational resource designed
to assist licensed healthcare practitioners in caring for their patients
and/ or to serve consumers viewing this service as a supplement to, and
not a substitute for, the expertise, skill, knowledge and judgment of
healthcare practitioners. The absence of a warning for a given drug or
drug combination in no way should be construed to indicate that the drug
or drug combination is safe, effective or appropriate for any given
patient. Multum does not assume any responsibility for any aspect of
healthcare administered with the aid of information Multum provides. The
information contained herein is not intended to cover all possible uses,
directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions,
or adverse effects. If you have questions about the drugs you are taking,
check with your doctor, nurse or pharmacist. |
Copyright 1996-2004 Cerner Multum, Inc. Version: 2.04. Revision date: 6/
16/ 04. |
