Informational only — Not medical advice. Always consult a licensed healthcare provider.

Shasthya স্বাস্থ্য · Health, made simple
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Community data Updated 23 hours ago
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Indications

Glimepiride + Metformin tablet is used along with diet and exercise in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Doctors prescribe it when glimepiride alone or metformin alone has not brought blood sugar under adequate control. It can also replace the combination therapy of glimepiride and metformin taken as separate medicines.

⚠️ Always consult a registered physician before taking any medicine.

Pharmacology

Glimepiride is a sulfonylurea antidiabetic medicine that lowers blood glucose. It works mainly by stimulating the release of insulin from functioning beta cells in the pancreas. It acts together with glucose, making the beta cells more sensitive to the normal glucose signal so that they release insulin. Glimepiride may also work outside the pancreas. It can reduce basal glucose production in the liver, and it can make peripheral tissues more sensitive to insulin and increase their glucose uptake. In diabetic patients who haven't fasted, a single dose of Glimepiride keeps lowering blood glucose for 24 hours.

Metformin Hydrochloride is a biguanide type of oral antihyperglycemic medicine, used in the management of type 2 diabetes. It lowers both basal and postprandial plasma glucose. Its mechanism of action is different from that of the sulfonylureas, and it does not produce hypoglycemia. Metformin Hydrochloride decreases glucose production in the liver and reduces the absorption of glucose from the intestine. It also improves insulin sensitivity by increasing glucose uptake and utilization in peripheral tissues.

Pregnancy & Breastfeeding

Pregnancy

For the Glimepiride + Metformin combination, each part has to be considered separately. Glimepiride must not be taken during pregnancy, because there is a risk of harm to the child. The patient must change over to insulin during pregnancy. Patients who are planning a pregnancy must tell their doctor, and it is recommended that they change over to insulin too. As for metformin, diabetes should not be treated with metformin when the patient plans to become pregnant or during pregnancy. Insulin should be used instead, to keep blood glucose as close to normal as possible and so lower the risk of fetal malformations linked with abnormal blood glucose levels.

Lactation

Glimepiride must not be taken by breast-feeding women, since it could pass into the breast milk and possibly harm the child. If necessary, the patient must change over to insulin or stop breastfeeding. Metformin is excreted into milk in lactating rats. Similar data is not available in humans, so a decision should be made whether to stop nursing or to stop metformin, taking into account how important the medicine is to the mother.

⚠️ Talk to your doctor before taking any medicine during pregnancy or while breastfeeding.

Dosage Reference

⚠️ Reference ranges from official sources only. Consult your doctor for personalized dosing.

Adults: The dose of this tablet (glimepiride + metformin) depends on the blood glucose level you want to reach. It should be the lowest dose that gives enough control of the diabetes. While you are on treatment, blood and urine glucose must be checked regularly. If a dose is missed or taken wrongly, never make up for it by taking a larger dose later. Better control of diabetes brings higher insulin sensitivity, so the glimepiride requirement may fall as treatment goes on. To avoid hypoglycaemia, reducing the dose in good time, or stopping the tablet, must be considered. The highest recommended dose per day is 8 mg of glimepiride and 2000 mg of metformin. The starting dose of this tablet should not be more than the daily doses of glimepiride or metformin already being taken, again to avoid hypoglycaemia. When a patient switches from glimepiride and metformin taken as separate tablets, the combination tablet should be given on the basis of the doses being taken at present.

Side Effects & Interactions

Side Effects

No side-effect data recorded yet.