Glimepiride Tablets

Product Description

Highlights for glimepiride

Glimepiride oral tablet is available as a generic drug and as a brand-name drug. Brand name: Amaryl.

Glimepiride comes as a tablet you take by mouth.

Glimepiride is used to treat type 2 diabetes. It helps control blood sugar when used along with a healthy diet and exercise.

What is glimepiride?

Glimepiride is a prescription drug. It comes as an oral tablet.

Glimepiride is available as the brand-name drug Amaryl and as a generic drug. Generic drugs usually cost less. In some cases, they may not be available in every strength or form as the brand-name version.

This drug may be used as part of a combination therapy. That means you need to take it with other drugs.

Why it's used

Glimepiride is used to reduce high blood sugar levels in people with type 2 diabetes. It’s used in combination with a healthy diet and exercise.

This medication may be used with insulin or other types of diabetes drugs to help control your high blood sugar.

How it works

Glimepiride belongs to a class of drugs called sulfonylureas. A class of drugs is a group of medications that work in a similar way. These drugs are often used to treat similar conditions.

Glimepiride helps your pancreas to release insulin. Insulin is a chemical that your body makes to move sugar (glucose) from your bloodstream into your cells. Once the sugar enters your cells, they can use it as fuel for your body.

With type 2 diabetes, your body doesn’t make enough insulin, or it can't properly use the insulin that it makes, so the sugar stays in your bloodstream. This causes high blood sugar levels (hyperglycemia).

Glimepiride side effects

Glimepiride oral tablet doesn’t cause drowsiness, but it can cause other side effects.

More common side effects

The more common side effects that can occur with glimepiride include:

low blood sugar (hypoglycemia). Symptoms may include:

trembling or shaking

nervousness or anxiety

irritability

sweating

lightheadedness or dizziness

headache

fast heart rate or palpitations

intense hunger

fatigue or tiredness

headache

nausea

dizziness

weakness

unexplained weight gain

If these effects are mild, they may go away within a few days or a couple of weeks. If they’re more severe or don’t go away, talk to your doctor or pharmacist.

Serious side effects

Call your doctor right away if you have serious side effects. Call 911 if your symptoms feel life-threatening or if you think you’re having a medical emergency. Serious side effects and their symptoms can include the following:

severe low blood sugar (less than 35 to 40 mg/dL). Symptoms may include:

mood changes, such as irritability, impatience, anger, stubbornness, or sadness

confusion, including delirium

lightheadedness or dizziness

sleepiness

blurred or impaired vision

tingling or numbness in your lips or tongue

headaches

weakness or fatigue

lack of coordination

nightmares or crying out in your sleep

seizures

unconsciousness

hypersensitivity (allergic) reactions. This drug can cause several types of allergic reactions, including:

anaphylaxis. This is a severe and possibly a life-threatening allergic reaction. Symptoms may include trouble breathing, swelling of your throat or tongue, hives, or difficulty swallowing.

angioedema. This involves swelling of your skin, the layers under your skin, and your mucous membranes (inside your mouth).

Stevens-Johnsons syndrome. This is a rare and serious disorder of your skin and mucous membranes (mouth and nose). It starts with flu-like symptoms and is followed by a painful red rash and blisters.

liver damage. Symptoms may include:

yellowing of your skin and the whites of your eyes (jaundice)

stomach pain and swelling

swelling in your legs and ankles (edema)

itchy skin

dark-colored urine

pale stool or tar-colored stool

constant sleepiness

nausea

vomiting

bruising easily

low blood cell or platelet counts. Symptoms may include infections and bruising or bleeding that doesn’t stop as quickly as normal.

low sodium levels (hyponatremia) and syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion (SIADH). In SIADH, your body is unable to get rid of excess water by urinating. This leads to lower sodium levels in your blood (hyponatremia), which is dangerous. Symptoms may include:

nausea and vomiting

headache

confusion

loss of energy and fatigue

restlessness and irritability

muscle weakness, spasms, or cramps

seizures

coma

Glimepiride may interact with other medications

Glimepiride oral tablet can interact with other medications, vitamins, or herbs you may be taking. An interaction is when a substance changes the way a drug works. This can be harmful or prevent the drug from working well.

To help avoid interactions, your doctor should manage all of your medications carefully. Be sure to tell your doctor about all medications, vitamins, or herbs you’re taking. To find out how this drug might interact with something else you’re taking, talk to your doctor or pharmacist.

Examples of drugs that can cause interactions with glimepiride are listed below.

Quinolone antibiotics

These drugs can increase the effect of glimepiride and cause low blood sugar. Examples of these drugs include:

ciprofloxacin (Cipro)

levofloxacin (Levaquin)

Blood pressure and heart drugs (angiotensin-converting enzyme [ACE] inhibitors)

These drugs can increase the effect of glimepiride and cause low blood sugar. Examples of these drugs include:

benazepril (Lotensin)

captopril (Capoten)

enalapril (Vasotec)

enalaprilat

fosinopril (Monopril)

lisinopril (Prinivil)

moexipril (Univasc)

perindopril (Aceon)

quinapril (Accupril)

ramipril (Altace)

trandolapril (Mavik)

Antifungals

These drugs can increase the effect of glimepiride and cause low blood sugar. Examples of these drugs include:

fluconazole (Diflucan)

ketoconazole (Nizoral)

Drug that treats eye infections

Chloramphenicol can increase the effect of glimepiride and cause low blood sugar.

Drug that treats high cholesterol and triglycerides

Clofibrate can increase the effect of glimepiride and cause low blood sugar.

Drugs that treat depression

These drugs can increase the effect of glimepiride and cause low blood sugar. Examples of these drugs include:

monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs), such as:

isocarboxazid (Marplan)

phenelzine (Nardil)

tranylcypromine (Parnate)

Drugs that contain salicylate

These drugs can increase the effect of glimepiride and cause low blood sugar. Examples of these drugs include:

aspirin

magnesium salicylate (Doan’s)

salsalate (Disalcid)

Drugs that contain sulfonamides

These drugs can increase the effect of glimepiride and cause low blood sugar. Examples of these drugs include:

sulfacetamide

sulfadiazine

sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim (Bactrim)

sulfasalazine (Azulfidine)

sulfisoxazole

Drug that treats cholesterol and type 2 diabetes

Colesevelam can decrease the amount of glimepiride that’s absorbed by your body. This means that the drug may not work as well. This interaction may cause high blood sugar.

Drug that treats low blood sugar

Diazoxide can decrease the effect of glimepiride and cause high blood sugar.

Tuberculosis drugs

These drugs can decrease the effect of glimepiride and cause high blood sugar. Examples of these drugs include:

rifabutin (Mycobutin)

rifampin (Rifadin)

rifapentine (Priftin)

Thiazide diuretics

These drugs can decrease the effect of glimepiride and cause high blood sugar. Examples of these drugs include:

chlorothiazide (Diuril)

chlorthalidone

hydrochlorothiazide (Hydrodiuril)

indapamide (Lozol)

metolazone (Zaroxolyn)

How to take glimepiride

All possible dosages and forms may not be included here. Your dose, form, and how often you take it will depend on:

your age

the condition being treated

how severe your condition is

other medical conditions you have

how you react to the first dose

Drug forms and strengths

Generic: Glimepiride

Form: oral tablet

Strengths: 1 mg, 2 mg, 3 mg, 4 mg, 6 mg, and 8 mg

Brand: Amaryl

Form: oral tablet

Strengths: 1 mg, 2 mg, and 4 mg

Dosage for type 2 diabetes

Adult dosage (ages 18 to 64 years)

The recommended starting dose is 1 mg or 2 mg taken once per day with breakfast or the first main meal of the day.

After reaching a dose of 2 mg per day, your doctor may increase your dose by 1 mg or 2 mg based on your blood sugar levels. They may increase your dose every 1 to 2 weeks until your blood sugar levels are controlled.

The maximum recommended dose is 8 mg taken once per day.

Child dosage (ages 0 to 17 years)

Glimepiride isn’t recommended for people under 18 years old because it may affect body weight and cause low blood sugar.

Senior dosage (ages 65 years and older)

The starting dose is 1 mg taken once per day with breakfast or the first main meal of the day.

Your doctor may adjust your dose based on your blood sugar levels. Since seniors may be more sensitive to glimepiride and are more likely to have decreased kidney function, your doctor may increase your dose more slowly.

The maximum recommended dose is 8 mg taken once per day.

Special dosage considerations

For people with kidney disease: Because you’re at risk for low blood sugar, your dose of glimepiride will likely be lower than the typical dose.

The starting dose is 1 mg taken once per day with breakfast or the first main meal of the day.

Your dose of glimepiride may be adjusted based on your blood sugar levels.

The maximum recommended dose is 8 mg taken once per day.

For people with liver disease: If you have liver disease, you may be more sensitive to the effects of glimepiride. Your doctor may start you at a lower dose and slowly increase your dose if needed.