Experiences with
Glimepiride

Glimepiride is a medicine used to treat type 2 diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes is a condition where the body does not make enough insulin, or the insulin that it makes does not work properly. This can cause high blood sugar levels (hyperglycaemia).

Glimepiride lowers your blood sugar by increasing the amount of insulin your body produces.

Glimepiride is only available on prescription. It comes as tablets.

Who can take glimepiride

Most adults aged 18 years and older can take glimepiride.

A diabetes specialist may sometimes prescribe glimepiride for children and young people aged under 18.

Who may not be able to take glimepiride

This medicine is not used to treat type 1 diabetes (when your body does not produce insulin).

Glimepiride is not suitable for some people. To make sure it's safe for you, tell your doctor if you:

have ever had an allergic reaction to glimepiride or any other medicine
have severe kidney or liver disease
have G6PD-deficiency (an inherited condition affecting red blood cells)
are due to have surgery
are pregnant, trying to get pregnant or breastfeeding

Dosage and strength

Glimepiride comes as 1mg, 2mg, 3mg and 4mg tablets.

Your doctor will tell you how many tablets to take. You may need to take 1 or 2 tablets to make up your daily dose.

The usual starting dose for adults is 1mg, taken once a day. Your doctor may increase your dose gradually over a few weeks or months, up to a regular dose of 4mg once a day.

The maximum daily dose is 6mg.

Changes to your dose

Your doctor will check your blood sugar levels regularly. They may change your dose of glimepiride to keep your blood sugar under control.

How to take it

You'll usually take glimepiride once a day. Take this medicine with food.

Most people take it in the morning with their breakfast. If you do not eat breakfast, make sure you take it with your first meal of the day. Try to take it at the same time every day.

Swallow the tablets whole, with a drink of water. Do not chew them.

If you find it difficult to swallow tablets, use the score line in the middle of the tablet to break it in 2, then take both halves.

How long to take it for

Treatment for diabetes is usually for life.

Do not stop taking glimepiride without talking to your doctor. If you stop taking it suddenly, your diabetes may get worse.

If you want to stop taking your medicine, speak to your doctor. They may be able to suggest an alternative treatment for your diabetes.

If you forget to take it

If you forget to take your daily glimepiride, skip the missed dose and take your next dose at the usual time.

Do not take 2 doses at the same time to make up for a forgotten one.

If you often forget doses, it may help to set an alarm to remind you. You could also ask your pharmacist for advice on other ways to remember to take your medicines.

If you take too much

The amount of glimepiride that can lead to an overdose varies from person to person.

Taking more than your prescribed dose of glimepiride tablets can give you low blood sugar.

Early warning signs of low blood sugar include:

feeling hungry
trembling or shaking
sweating
feeling confused
having problems concentrating

If you think you have low blood sugar, have some food or drink that quickly gets sugar into your bloodstream such as sugar cubes or fruit juice.

This type of sugar will not last long in your blood. You may also need to eat a starchy carbohydrate, like a sandwich or a couple of biscuits.

you take more than your prescribed dose of glimepiride

Get help from 111 online or call 111

If you need to go to A&E, do not drive. Ask someone to drive you or call 999 and ask for an ambulance.

Bring the glimepiride packet or leaflet inside it, any remaining medicine, and any other medicines you take.

Common side effects

Like all medicines, glimepiride can cause side effects in some people. But most people have no side effects, or only minor ones.

Talk to your doctor or pharmacist if you get any side effects that bother you or do not go away.

Serious side effects

It happens rarely, but some people may have serious side effects after taking glimepiride.

Call your doctor or call 111 now if:

the whites of your eyes turn yellow, or your skin turns yellow although this may be less obvious on brown or Black skin – these can be signs of a liver problem
you have a sore throat and high temperature, your skin is unusually pale, you are bleeding for longer than usual or you get unexpected bruises – these can be signs of a blood disorder

Low blood sugar

Glimepiride can sometimes cause low blood sugar (known as hypoglycaemia, or "hypos").

Early warning signs of low blood sugar include:

feeling hungry
trembling or shaking
sweating
confusion
difficulty concentrating

It's also possible for your blood sugar to go too low while you're asleep. If this happens, it can make you feel sweaty, tired and confused when you wake up.

Low blood sugar may happen if you:

take too much of some types of diabetes medicines
do not eat meals regularly, or skip meals
are fasting
do not eat a healthy diet and are not getting enough nutrients
change what you eat
increase your physical activity without eating more to compensate
drink alcohol, especially after skipping a meal
take some other medicines or herbal remedies at the same time
have a hormone disorder such as hypothyroidism
have kidney or liver problems

To prevent hypos, it's important to have regular meals, including breakfast. Never miss or delay a meal.

If you're planning to exercise more than usual, make sure you eat carbohydrates like bread, pasta or cereals before, during or after exercise.

Always carry a fast-acting carbohydrate with you, like sugar cubes, fruit juice or some sweets, in case your blood sugar level gets low. Artificial sweeteners will not help.

You may also need to eat a starchy carbohydrate, like a sandwich or a biscuit, to maintain your blood sugar for longer.

If taking in sugar does not help or if the hypo symptoms come back, contact your doctor or the nearest hospital.

Make sure your friends and family know about your diabetes and the symptoms of low blood sugar levels so they can recognise a hypo if it happens.

Serious allergic reaction

It's possible to have a serious allergic reaction (anaphylaxis) to glimepiride.

Meds New IA (H4) - serious allergic reaction

These are not all the side effects of glimepiride. For a full list see the leaflet inside your medicines packet.

Glimepiride and pregnancy

Glimepiride is not recommended in pregnancy as there is little information about its safety during pregnancy.

Other medicines used to treat diabetes, such as insulin and metformin, are safe to take while pregnant.

If you are pregnant or thinking of getting pregnant, talk to your doctor as they will need to review your treatment. They will be able to suggest a different medicine that is safer for you to take in pregnancy.

Glimepiride and breastfeeding

Glimepiride is not usually recommended while breastfeeding. We do not know how much glimepiride passes into breast milk, but it is possible it could lower your baby's blood sugar level.

If you are breastfeeding, or planning to breastfeed, talk to your doctor about what's best for you and your baby. They will need to review your treatment and may be able to suggest a different medicine for you, particularly if you're breastfeeding a newborn or premature baby.

If your doctor says it's OK to keep taking it while breastfeeding, contact your health visitor, midwife, pharmacist or doctor as soon as possible if your baby:

is not feeding as well as usual
is being sick or has diarrhoea
seems unusually sleepy or irritable
is paler, or more sweaty, than usual
seems hungrier than usual
is peeing more
is causing you any other concerns

Glimepiride and fertility

There's no evidence to suggest that taking glimepiride reduces fertility in either men or women.

Speak to a pharmacist or your doctor if you're trying to get pregnant. They may want to review your treatment.

Meds New IA (H2) - Pregnancy non-urgent care card

Cautions with other medicines

Some medicines affect the way glimepiride works. Your doctor may need to adjust your dose of glimepiride. They may also recommend checking your blood sugar levels more often.

Tell your doctor if you're taking any of these medicines before starting to take glimepiride:

steroid tablets such as prednisolone
medicines used to treat heart problems, high blood pressure or high cholesterol
medicines to treat bacterial or fungal infections such as clarithromycin, co-trimoxazole, miconazole or fluconazole
rifampicin, an antibiotic used to treat tuberculosis (TB)
other diabetes medicines

You may need to adjust your dose of glimepiride after starting contraceptive pills. In rare cases, contraceptive pills can increase blood sugar levels.

Taking glimepiride with painkillers

It's safe to take paracetamol with glimepiride.

But check with your doctor or pharmacist before taking non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) with glimepiride. NSAIDs such as ibuprofen or high-dose aspirin can sometimes lower your blood sugar level.

Mixing glimepiride with herbal remedies and supplements

There's not enough information to say that herbal remedies or supplements are safe to take with glimepiride. They're not tested in the same way as pharmacy and prescription medicines. They're generally not tested for the effect they have on other medicines.

Meds New IA (H2) - Cautions with other medicines alert