Quick Information
Introduction –
Glucotrol is also known as Glipizide, is an anti-diabetic medicine of the sulfonylurea that can be used in the treatment of type-2 diabetes. This medicine is used together with exercise and a diabetic diet but it is not used for type 1 diabetes. The effects of this medicine start within 30 minutes and may last for up to a day.
In the year 1984, Glucotrol was approved in the United States for medical use and is available as a generic medication. This medicine was the 44th most commonly prescribed medication with more than 17 million prescriptions in the United States in the year 2018.
Uses –
Glucotrol is used with an exercise and proper diet for maintaining high blood sugar in people who have type-2 diabetes. This medicine may also be used with other several diabetic medications. Reducing high sugar levels in the blood helps in preventing blindness, kidney problems, impotence, and loss of limbs. Maintain a sugar level also lower the risk of heart attack or stroke. This medicine belongs to the group of medicines called as sulfonylureas, which reduce sugar level in the blood due to the release of our body’s natural insulin.
How to take –
Take this medicine via the mouth 30 minutes before the first meal of the day as instructed by your doctor. If you taking another medicine to treat diabetes such as chlorpropamide then should stop the old tablet and then start taking Glucotrol. Colesevelam may lower the absorption of glucotrol. Thus, if you use colesevelam then should take glucotrol at least 4 hours before using colesevelam. You should take this medicine daily for getting the most benefit from it. After using glucotrol, if your condition is not improved then consult with your doctor immediately for medical help.
Dosage instructions –
The dose of any medicine plays an important role in the treatment of any diseases that depend on your age, medical conditions, and response to treatment. This medicine should be started at a low dose that reduces the risk of any side effects and should gradually increase the dose as per instructed by your doctor.
- Miss dose – Take this medicine as soon as possible if you miss the dose at any time. But do not take an extra dose of this medicine for making up the dose as it may cause side effects.
- Overdose – The overdose of this medicine may cause severe side effects that are harmful to your health. So, if you take an overdose of this medicine by fault then contact to your doctor as soon as possible for medical help.
Side-effects –
There are several important side effects after taking this medicine are given below –
- Nausea
- Loss of appetite
- Headache
- Stomach upset
- Diarrhea
- Weight gain
- Sore throat
- Seizures
- Dark urine
- Weakness
- Fever
- Low blood sugar
- Dizziness
- Blurred vision
- Fast heartbeat
If you are suffering from any side effects for a long time then contact your doctor as soon as possible to resolve this problem.
Precautions –
There are some important precautions before or after taking this medicine are discussed below –
- You should avoid this medicine if you have an allergic problem with this medicine.
- If you may suffer from blurred vision and dizziness after taking this medicine, then do not drive any vehicle or avoid any physical activities as it may increase the risk of an accident.
- This medicine should not be taken with a large amount of alcohol as it may lower the blood sugar level and cause a serious reaction with several symptoms such as dizziness, nausea, stomach pain, and many more.
- If you are pregnant then should discuss with your doctor about using this product before taking this medicine.
- You can consult with your doctor if you have any kidney or liver problems before using this medicine.
Do not increase the dose of this medicine without consultation with your doctor as it may cause side effects.