Amaryl

Amaryl is a prescription medication used to treat type 2 diabetes. This medication belongs to a group of drugs called sulfonylureas, which help to lower blood sugar by causing the pancreas to produce insulin (a natural substance that is needed to break down sugar in the body). It also helps the body use insulin efficiently.

Amaryl comes in tablet form. It is usually taken once daily with breakfast.

Common side effects include headache, weakness, and nausea. Amaryl can cause dizziness. Do not drive or operate heavy machinery until you know how it affects you.

Amaryl is a prescription medication used to treat type 2 diabetes.

This medication may be prescribed for other uses. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

Take this medication exactly as prescribed by your doctor. Follow the directions on your prescription label carefully.

The dose your doctor recommends may be based on the following:

• the condition being treated
• other medical conditions you have
• other medications you are taking
• how you respond to this medication
• your kidney function

The recommended dose range of Amaryl is 1-8 mg/day (8 mg/day being the maximum recommended dose).

Serious side effects have been reported with Amaryl including the following:

• Amaryl can cause low blood sugar levels (hypoglycemia) in patients. Tell your doctor if you have a history of kidney or liver disease or drink alcohol. Symptoms of low blood sugar include:
  • shakiness
  • tremors
  • cold sweat
  • fast heart rate
  • headache
  • moodiness
  • dizziness
  • blurred vision
  • confusion
• A severe allergic reaction to Amaryl is possible.  Tell your healthcare provider right away if you have some or all of the following symptoms of a hypersensitivity reaction:
  • difficulty breathing or swallowing
  • hoarseness
  • rash or hives
  • swelling
• Amaryl can decrease the number of red blood cells in people with glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency.  Alert your doctor if you have a history of G6PD deficiency or anemia.
• Increased risk of cardiovascular mortality with Sulfonylureas. The administration of oral hypoglycemic drugs has been reported to be associated with increased cardiovascular mortality as compared to treatment with diet alone or diet plus insulin. Ask your doctor about the risks and benefits of taking Amaryl.

Ask your doctor about the safe use of alcoholic beverages while you are taking Amaryl. Alcohol can make the side effects from Amaryl worse. Consuming alcohol while taking Amaryl also may cause symptoms such as flushing (reddening of the face), headache, nausea, vomiting, chest pain, weakness, blurred vision, mental confusion, sweating, choking, breathing difficulty, and anxiety.

Avoid unnecessary or prolonged exposure to sunlight, and wear protective clothing, sunglasses, and sunscreen. Amaryl may make your skin sensitive to sunlight.

Ask your doctor what to do if you get sick, develop an infection or fever, experience unusual stress, or are injured. These conditions can affect your blood sugar and the amount of Amaryl you may need.

Do not take Amaryl if you:

• are allergic to Amaryl or to any of its ingredients
• who have a history of an allergic reaction to sulfonamide derivatives. Patients who have developed an allergic reaction to sulfonamide derivatives may develop an allergic reaction to Amaryl.

Common side effects include:

• headache
• weakness
• nausea
• dizziness
• low blood sugar

This is not a complete list of Amaryl side effects. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to the FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

Tell your doctor about all the medicines you take, including prescription and non-prescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Especially tell your doctor if you take:

• colesevelam
• miconazole (Monistat)
• medications that block a protein in the body CYP2C9 such as fluconazole (Diflucan)
• medications that increase the activity of the enzyme CYP2C9 such as rifampin
• H2 receptor antagonists such as cimetidine and ranitidine

• anticoagulants ('blood thinners') such as warfarin (Coumadin)
• aspirin
• oral anti-diabetic medications, pramlintide acetate, and insulin
• angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors
• nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) and naproxen (Aleve, Naprosyn)
• beta blockers such as atenolol (Tenormin), labetalol (Normodyne), metoprolol (Lopressor, Toprol XL), nadolol (Corgard), and propranolol (Inderal)
• chloramphenicol
• clarithromycin (Biaxin)
• disopyramide (Norpace)
• diuretics ('water pills')
• fluoxetine (Prozac, Sarafem)
• hormone replacement therapy and hormonal contraceptives (birth control pills, patches, rings, implants, and injections)
• insulin or other medications to treat high blood sugar or diabetes
• isoniazid (INH)
• MAO inhibitors such as isocarboxazid (Marplan), phenelzine (Nardil), selegiline (Eldepryl, Emsam, Zelapar), and tranylcypromine (Parnate)
• medications for asthma and colds
• medications for mental illness and nausea
• niacin
• oral steroids such as dexamethasone (Decadron, Dexone), methylprednisolone (Medrol), and prednisone (Deltasone)
• phenytoin (Dilantin)
• probenecid (Benemid)
• quinolone and fluoroquinolone antibiotics such as ciprofloxacin (Cipro), gatifloxacin (Tequin), levofloxacin (Levaquin), moxifloxacin (Avelox), ofloxacin (Floxin)
• salicylate pain relievers
• sulfa antibiotics such as sulfamethoxazole/ trimethoprim (Bactrim, Septra)
• sulfasalazine (Azulfidine)
• thyroid medications

This is not a complete list of Amaryl drug interactions. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant.

The FDA categorizes medications based on safety for use during pregnancy. Five categories - A, B, C, D, and X, are used to classify the possible risks to an unborn baby when a medication is taken during pregnancy.

Amaryl falls into category C. There are no well-controlled studies that have been done in pregnant women. Amaryl should be used during pregnancy only if the possible benefit outweighs the possible risk to the unborn baby.

Tell your doctor if you are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed.

It is not known if Amaryl crosses into human milk. Because many medications can cross into human milk and because of the possibility for serious adverse reactions in nursing infants with use of this medication, a choice should be made whether to stop nursing or stop the use of this medication. Your doctor and you will decide if the benefits outweigh the risk of using Amaryl.

Avoid unnecessary or prolonged exposure to sunlight, and wear protective clothing, sunglasses, and sunscreen. Glimepiride may make your skin sensitive to sunlight.

Glimepiride can cause low blood sugar levels (hypoglycemia) in patients. Make sure you know the signs and symptoms of low blood sugar.

Alcohol can intensify the side effects of glimepiride.

Glimepiride should be taken with a healthy diet to maximize its blood glucose lowering effects.

After exposure to stress, such as fever, trauma, infection, or surgery, glimepiride may cause you to lose control over your blood glucose levels.