Amaryl
Generic Name: Glimepiride
Brand Name: Amaryl
Indications
Amaryl is indicated for diabetes patients (Type 2) diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) to lower the blood glucose level. This drug is to be used with proper diet and regular exercise.
Dosage and Administration
Amaryl are available as 1mg, 2mg and 4mg tablets
Since the dosage of this medicine is determined by the fasting blood sugar level in patients, there is no fixed routine for this medicine.
Normal doses: recommended is 1-2 mg once in a day administered with breakfast or the main meal and the maintenance dose can be upto 8mg once in a day.
Overdose?
Over dosage of this medicine can cause hypoglycemia.
Drug Description
Amaryl (glimepiride) Tablets is an oral blood-glucose-lowering drug of the sulfonylurea class. Glimepiride is a white to yellowish-white, crystalline, odorless to practically odorless powder formulated into tablets of 1-mg, 2-mg, and 4-mg strengths for oral administration. The tablets contain the active ingredient glimepiride and the following inactive ingredients: lactose (hydrous), sodium starch glycolate, povidone, microcrystalline cellulose, and magnesium stearate. In addition, AMARYL 1-mg tablets contain Ferric Oxide Red, Amaryl 2-mg tablets contain Ferric Oxide Yellow and FD&C Blue #2 Aluminum Lake, and Amaryl 4-mg tablets contain FD&C Blue #2 Aluminum Lake. Chemically, glimepiride is identified as 1-[[p-[2-(3-ethyl-4-methyl-2-oxo-3-pyrroline-1-carboxamido) ethyl] phenyl] sulfonyl]-3-(trans-4-methylcyclohexyl) urea. The CAS Registry Number is 93479-97-1. The structural formula is:
Molecular Formula: C24H34N4O5S
Molecular Weight: 490.62
Glimepiride is practically insoluble in water.
Side Effects
Some of the noted side effects of this medicine are dizziness, headache, nausea, vomiting, gastrointestinal pain, diarrhea and some allergic skin reactions. Any of the above symptoms should be notified to the physician.
Precautions
- Patients administering Amaryl should monitor their blood sugar level periodically to avoid hypoglycemia.
- Try avoiding the medicine during pregnancy.
- A proper diet and regular exercise should be maintained during the course of the medicine.
- Changes in the routine activities may affect your blood sugar levels.
- Avoid consumption of alcohol during
Drug Interactions
Do intimate your doctor if you are medicating on any of the below drugs:
- Aspirin or any other salicylate such as magnesium/ choline salicylate (Trilisate), salsalate (Disalcid), choline salicylate (Arthropan), magnesium salicylate (Magan), or bismuth subsalicylate (Pepto-Bismol)
- A nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) such as ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil, Nuprin), ketoprofen (Orudis, Orudis KT, Oruvail), diclofenac (Voltaren, Cataflam), etodolac (Lodine), indomethacin (Indocin), nabumetone (Relafen), oxaprozin (Daypro), and naproxen (Anaprox, Naprosyn, Aleve)
- A sulfa-based drug such as sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim (Bactrim, Septra), sulfisoxazole (Gantrisin), or sulfasalazine (Azulfidine)
- A monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI) such as isocarboxazid (Marplan), tranylcypromine (Parnate), or phenelzine (Nardil)
- Abeta-blocker such as propranolol (Inderal), atenolol (Tenormin), acebutolol (Sectral), metoprolol (Lopressor)
