Glipizide

What is Glipizide?

Glipizide is a generic tablet treatment that works to lower your blood sugar if you have type-2 diabetes. You take it with your breakfast, and it works through the day to increase your pancreas’ insulin secretion – an essential hormone for converting the glucose in your blood into energy for your cells.

You’ll usually take it alongside or instead of metformin, where metformin hasn’t worked on its own to maintain low blood sugar levels for you or isn’t suitable for you. It belongs to the sulfonylureas class of medicines, which is one of the most commonly prescribed types of treatment for diabetes.

How does Glipizide work?

Type-2 diabetes is a condition that you usually develop in adulthood as a result of either your pancreas not releasing as much insulin as your body needs it to, or your cells losing sensitivity to insulin (or a combination of both). This results in higher levels of sugar being present in your bloodstream than there should be, which is called hyperglycemia. Having hyperglycemia for a long period of time can increase your risk of developing serious health problems.

Sulfonylurea medicines work by binding to your pancreas’ beta cells and closing their potassium channels. This then sets off a chain reaction within the cells that allows calcium into the cells, triggering the release of increased amounts of insulin, which then works to lower your blood sugar levels.^[1]

What doses of Glipizide are there?

Glipizide is only available in 5mg tablets, though you might be advised to take more or less Glipizide depending on your condition and needs. The maximum recommended daily dose is 20mg (four 5mg tablets).

How to take Glipizide

You should always take Glipizide exactly as prescribed by our clinician.

To take Glipizide, swallow your tablet whole with water. The initial dose is usually to take one 5mg tablet, 30 minutes before breakfast or lunch.

If you are elderly, have mild diabetes or have kidney or liver problems then you might be advised to only take 2.5mg, this would involve you breaking your tablet in half at the line.

How long does it take Glipizide to work?

Glipizide should start to get to work to lower your blood sugar around 30 minutes after you take it, and it reaches its full effect in your body after 2-3 hours.^[1] It should continue to work in your system for 24 hours until your next dose, even if there are only small amounts of it in your system.^[2]

Because type-2 diabetes doesn’t usually cause noticeable symptoms, it’s likely that you won’t feel the effects of Glipizide when you take it, but that doesn’t mean that it isn’t working. It might also take a few weeks for your HbA1c (the test of your average blood sugar levels over the last 2-3 months) to drop.

What should I do if I make a mistake when taking Glipizide?

If you accidentally take too much Glipizide, you should seek medical help straight away. Taking too much Glipizide can cause hypoglycemia (low blood sugar). If you feel unwell your symptoms might be improved by eating or drinking something sugary.

If you forget your dose of Glipizide you should take it as soon as you remember. Don’t double your dose to make up for the forgotten one.