Glimepiride lowers blood sugar in type 2 diabetes by making the pancreas release more insulin. Unlike metformin, it can push blood sugar too low.
- Generic name
- Glimepiride
- Active ingredient
- Glimepiride
- Common brands in India
- Amaryl, Glimestar, Zoryl, Glimisave, Glimy
- Available as
- Tablet, Combination tablet with metformin
- Common strengths
- 1 mg, 2 mg, 3 mg, 4 mg
- How it is sold
- Prescription only — needs a doctor's prescription
No dosage information on this page
The correct dose depends on your age, weight, kidney and liver function, other medicines and medical history. Follow the dose your doctor prescribed, or the instructions on the pack. Never copy a dose from a website or from someone else's prescription.
What Glimepiride is used for
- Type 2 diabetes, usually added when metformin alone is not controlling blood sugar
- Often prescribed as a single combination tablet with metformin
How it works
Glimepiride belongs to a group called sulfonylureas. It prompts the pancreas to release more insulin, which moves sugar out of the blood and into the body's cells. Because it makes insulin regardless of what you have eaten, blood sugar can fall too low if a meal is missed — which is the main difference from metformin.
How to take Glimepiride
- Take it just before or with breakfast, or with the first main meal of the day.
- Do not take it and then skip the meal. That is the commonest way people end up with low blood sugar on this medicine.
- Carry something sugary — glucose, sweets, juice — whenever you are out.
- Take it at the same time each day, and tell your doctor if your eating pattern changes, including during fasting or festivals.
Precautions
- Learn the signs of low blood sugar: shakiness, sweating, hunger, a pounding heart, confusion, irritability or sudden tiredness. Treat it immediately with sugar, then eat something more lasting.
- Alcohol raises the risk of low blood sugar, particularly on an empty stomach.
- Tell your doctor about kidney or liver disease. Older adults are more prone to low blood sugar on this medicine.
- Speak to your doctor before religious fasting. This medicine often needs adjusting, and that is a decision for a doctor rather than something to manage alone.
- Some people gain a little weight on it.
Common side effects
Not everyone gets side effects. Tell your doctor if any of these are troublesome or do not settle.
- Low blood sugar (hypoglycaemia) — the most important one
- Weight gain
- Nausea or stomach discomfort
- Dizziness
- Skin rash, uncommonly
Important warnings
- Low blood sugar can become dangerous. If someone on this medicine becomes confused, unable to speak clearly, or unconscious, treat it as an emergency and get help — do not try to give food or drink to someone who is not fully awake.
- Never take an extra tablet to correct a high reading. Adjusting this medicine is a prescribing decision, and taking more is how serious low blood sugar happens.
- Do not drive if you feel a low coming on. Treat it, wait until you feel completely normal, and then wait a while longer.
- Blood sugar that has become normal is normal because of the treatment. Do not stop on your own.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does glimepiride cause low blood sugar?
Yes, and this is the main way it differs from metformin, which rarely does on its own. Glimepiride makes the pancreas release insulin whether or not you have eaten, so missing a meal after taking it can push your sugar too low. Learn the warning signs and keep something sugary with you.
What if I skip a meal after taking glimepiride?
Eat something as soon as you can, and watch for shakiness, sweating, hunger, a pounding heart or confusion. If those appear, take sugar straight away — glucose, juice or sweets — then follow with a proper meal. If skipping meals is happening often, tell your doctor, because the medicine may need changing.
Can glimepiride be taken with metformin?
Yes, and it commonly is — they work in different ways, and combination tablets containing both are widely sold in India. Which combination suits you, and in what amounts, is your doctor's decision.
What are the side effects of glimepiride?
Low blood sugar is the one that matters most. Weight gain, nausea and dizziness also occur. Most other effects are mild, but the risk of a low is real and is the reason meals should not be skipped on this medicine.
What this costs, and what is free
Commonly available free at government hospitals and health and wellness centres when prescribed there.
Generic versions are sold at Jan Aushadhi Kendras at substantially lower prices than branded packs of the same medicine.
The same molecule is sold under many brand names at very different prices. Ask your doctor to write the generic name, and compare at a Jan Aushadhi Kendra — the saving on a medicine taken daily is often substantial over a year. You can look up any medicine's official ceiling price on NPPA's Pharma Sahi Daam app.
Source: Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP), National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA)
Prices and scheme rules change. Confirm current details with the hospital or Kendra before you rely on them.
Looking for Glimepiride locally?Aswini Medicals is a pharmacy that stocks everyday medicines and can advise on availability.
Visit Aswini Medicals