Amaryl Generic (Glimepiride)

What is diabetes If two or more of the following occasions are true, you have diabetes:

• Fasting blood sugar (after 12 hours of fasting) is more than 126 mg/dl.
• Random blood sugar (randomly taken at any time of the day) is above 200 mg/dl.
• Post-prandial blood sugar (after two hours of food) is above 200 mg/dl.
• HbA1c is above 6.5 mg/dl. HbA1c test measures your average glucose levels for over a period of three months.

General Info: Uses and Effects

Amaryl Generic (Glimepiride) is an antidiabetic agent. It treats type 2 diabetes, a condition wherein there are high blood sugar levels. Amaryl Glimepiride belongs to the class of medicines, known as sulfonylureas, which treat diabetes type 2. Sulfonylureas are widely used for over fifty years to treat this disease. Amaryl Generic is a second-generation sulfonylurea, which has lesser side effects and is safer than the first-generation sulfonylureas.

Amaryl Glimepiride addresses the root cause. The high blood sugar level occurs due to two reasons: insufficient insulin production and insulin resistance. Your body produces a hormone called insulin, which helps your body use glucose. When you have food, your body converts that food into glucose, and your body uses the same glucose to carry out your day to day functions, such as breathing, digestion, and physical activities. When you have more food than what your body needs, your body converts the remaining glucose to fat. Your body needs insulin for using and storing glucose. Without insulin, glucose lies in your blood and you won't be able to use it though you have it in ample, and thus blood sugar levels rise.

Sometimes with aging or due to some other underlying causes such as inactivity, your body does not produce enough insulin. Amaryl Generic (Glimepiride) helps you address that by making sure your body (beta cells of pancreas) produce more insulin.

Amaryl Glimepiride also addresses another cause of high blood sugar, which is insulin-resistance, a condition where your body produces enough insulin, but your body is not able to use it. Being overweight or physically less active are few of the causes of insulin resistance. This drug makes your body respond better to insulin by increasing the insulin sensitivity of your body. Glimepiride reduces your blood glucose levels by 20% and HbA1c by 2%. However, research says right diet and regular exercise are mandatory to control and improve your sugar levels.

Amaryl Generic (Glimepiride) treats the type 2 diabetes patients where Metformin (another popular medicine to treat this disease) is contraindicated. Amaryl also treats the patients who are not able to achieve desired results with the use of Metformin as you can club it with this drug for achieving better sugar levels.

Contraindication: Important to Know

Amaryl Glimepiride is contraindicated in the following situations:

• Renal (kidney) and hepatic (liver) impairment.
• Allergy to Glimepiride or other sulfonylureas and sulfonamides.
• Diabetic ketoacidosis (a phenomenon where there are excess acids in your blood. It typically happens when there are high blood sugar levels for a longer time) or coma (if you do not treat diabetic ketoacidosis, it can cause coma and death).
• Patient with G6PD (Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase) deficiency: A condition where deficiency in the enzyme known as G6PD causes RBC (Red Blood Cells) to break causing anemia.
• Autonomic neuropathy (a condition where nerves that handle functions, such as digestion and breathing, are damaged).
• Thyroid or adrenocortical insufficiency (deficiency of certain hormones).
• Exposure to stress, such as fever, accident, infection, and surgery.
• Pregnancy and lactation: Amaryl Generic can affect the baby. Few studies which were conducted on animals have concluded harm on the growing baby. As we are yet to conduct control studies on human fetus, in pregnancy you should take the medicine only if it overweighs the potential risk to your baby.

Instructions on Taking

Amaryl Glimepiride is taken in the form of tablets. Take the drug with your breakfast/the first meal of the day. Take it either before or during your breakfast. Remember not to skip meals. Make sure you check your blood glucose levels, HBA1c, and the symptoms of hypoglycemia regularly. If you drink alcohol, you may experience disulfiram-like reactions (severe flushing, low blood pressure, and high heart rate) with Glimepiride.

Dosage

Adults can start with 1mg to 2mg of a daily dosage. Increase the dosage by 1mg to 2 mg every 1-2 weeks to achieve the desired sugar control. The maximum dosage is 6mg per day.

Elders, debilitated (excessively weak), or malnourished patients can start with 1mg per day.

The symptoms of overdose are:

• Nausea (vomiting sensation);
• Vomiting;
• Epigastric pain (pain above your tummy/ belly button);
• Hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) symptoms, such as restlessness, tremor, visual disturbances, coordination problems, sleepiness, convulsions, and coma;
• In case of overdose, induce vomiting by drinking lots of water or lemonade with activated charcoal and sodium sulfate.

Side Effects

Here's a list of side effects of Amaryl Glimepiride:

• Dizziness;
• Headache;
• Increased serum ALT (alanine aminotransferase);
• Flu-like symptoms (fever, chills, cough, sore throat);
• Fall in blood pressure;
• Shock;
• Dyspnea (difficulty to breathe);
• Thrombocytopenia (reduced platelet counts) and thrombocytopenic purpura (red spots on skin);
• Severe hypoglycemia.

Interaction with Other Drugs

Certain drugs, such as ACE inhibitors, beta-blockers, MAOIs, Chloramphenicol, CYP2C9 inhibitors, , Coumarin anticoagulants, ClarithromycinProbenecid, Disopyramide, Fluoxetine, Quinolones, Salicylates, Sulfonamides, and fibric acid derivatives, can cause hypoglycemia when you use them with Amaryl Glimepiride.

Certain drugs, such as corticosteroids, CYP2C9 inducers, estrogens, nicotinic acid, Phenothiazines, Phenytoin, Sympathomimetics, thiazides, diuretics, and thyroid products, can reduce the hypoglycemic effect of Amaryl Glimepiride.

Remember to consult your doctor before you want to start the treatment with Amaryl Glimepiride or alter the dosage. Discuss your health condition, diseases, family history, allergic reactions, and any medicines that you are taking. Self-medication is dangerous.