Glipizide is an oral diabetes medicine that helps control blood sugar levels by helping your pancreas produce insulin.

Glipizide is used together with diet and exercise to improve blood sugar control in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Glipizide is not for treating type 1 diabetes.

You should not use glipizide if you have diabetic ketoacidosis (call your doctor for treatment).

Before taking this medicine

You should not use this medicine if you are allergic to glipizide, or if you have diabetic ketoacidosis (call your doctor for treatment).

Tell your doctor if you have ever had:

• liver or kidney disease;

• chronic diarrhea, or a blockage in your intestines; or

• an enzyme deficiency called glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency (G6PD).

Follow your doctor's instructions about using glipizide if you are pregnant or you become pregnant. Controlling diabetes is very important during pregnancy, and having high blood sugar may cause complications in both the mother and the baby. You should not take glipizide during the last 2 weeks of pregnancy. Agents other than glipizide are currently recommended to treat diabetes in pregnant women.

It may not be safe to breastfeed while using this medicine. Ask your doctor about any risk.

Glipizide comes as tablets and extended-release (long-acting) tablets to take by mouth. The regular tablet is usually taken one or more times a day, 30 minutes before breakfast or meals. The extended-release tablet is usually taken once a day with breakfast. To help you remember to take glipizide, take it around the same time(s) every day. Follow the directions on your prescription label carefully, and ask your doctor or pharmacist to explain any part you do not understand. Take glipizide exactly as directed. Do not take more or less of it or take it more often than prescribed by your doctor.

Your doctor will probably start you on a low dose of glipizide and gradually increase your dose if needed. After you have taken glipizide for some time, glipizide may not control your blood sugar as well as it did at the beginning of your treatment. Your doctor may adjust the dose of your medication as needed so that the medication will work best for you. Be sure to tell your doctor how you are feeling and if your blood sugar test results have been higher or lower than normal at any time during your treatment.

Swallow the extended-release tablets whole. Do not chew, divide, or crush the tablets.

Glipizide helps control blood sugar but does not cure diabetes. Continue to take glipizide even if you feel well. Do not stop taking glipizide without talking to your doctor.

Ask your pharmacist or doctor for a copy of the manufacturer's information for the patient.

Take glipizide exactly as prescribed by your doctor. Follow all directions on your prescription label. Your doctor may occasionally change your dose. Do not take this medicine in larger or smaller amounts or for longer than recommended.

Take the regular tablet 30 minutes before your first meal of the day.

Take the glipizide extended-release tablet with your first meal of the day.

Swallow the tablet whole and do not crush, chew, or break it.

Your blood sugar may need to be checked often, and you may need other blood tests at your doctor's office.

Low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) can happen to anyone who has diabetes. Symptoms include headache, hunger, sweating, irritability, dizziness, nausea, fast heart rate, and feeling anxious or shaky. To quickly treat low blood sugar, always keep a fast-acting source of sugar with you such as fruit juice, hard candy, crackers, raisins, or non-diet soda.

Your doctor can prescribe a glucagon emergency injection kit to use in case you have severe hypoglycemia and cannot eat or drink. Be sure your family and close friends know how to give you this injection in an emergency.

Also watch for signs of high blood sugar (hyperglycemia) such as increased thirst or urination, blurred vision, headache, and tiredness.

Blood sugar levels can be affected by stress, illness, surgery, exercise, alcohol use, or skipping meals. Ask your doctor before changing your dose or medication schedule.

Some forms of glipizide are made with a shell that is not absorbed or melted in the body. Part of the tablet shell may appear in your stool. This is a normal side effect and will not make the medication less effective.

Store at room temperature away from moisture, heat, and light.

You should not use this medicine if you are allergic to glipizide, or if you have diabetic ketoacidosis (call your doctor for treatment).

Tell your doctor if you have ever had:

• liver or kidney disease;

• chronic diarrhea, or a blockage in your intestines; or

• an enzyme deficiency called glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency (G6PD).

Follow your doctor's instructions about using glipizide if you are pregnant or you become pregnant. Controlling diabetes is very important during pregnancy, and having high blood sugar may cause complications in both the mother and the baby. You should not take glipizide during the last 2 weeks of pregnancy. Agents other than glipizide are currently recommended to treat diabetes in pregnant women.

It may not be safe to breastfeed while using this medicine. Ask your doctor about any risk.

Take your dose as soon as you can, but only if you are getting ready to eat a meal. If you skip a meal, skip the missed dose and wait until your next meal. Do not take two doses at one time.

Get your prescription refilled before you run out of medicine completely.

Seek emergency medical attention or call the Poison Help line at 1-800-222-1222. A glipizide overdose can cause life-threatening hypoglycemia.

Symptoms of severe hypoglycemia include extreme weakness, blurred vision, sweating, trouble speaking, tremors, stomach pain, confusion, and seizure (convulsions).

Keep this medication in the container it came in, tightly closed, and out of reach of children. Store it at room temperature and away from excess heat and moisture (not in the bathroom).

It is important to keep all medication out of sight and reach of children as many containers (such as weekly pill minders and those for eye drops, creams, patches, and inhalers) are not child-resistant and young children can open them easily. To protect young children from poisoning, always lock safety caps and immediately place the medication in a safe location – one that is up and away and out of their sight and reach. http://www.upandaway.org

Unneeded medications should be disposed of in special ways to ensure that pets, children, and other people cannot consume them. However, you should not flush this medication down the toilet. Instead, the best way to dispose of your medication is through a medicine take-back program. Talk to your pharmacist or contact your local garbage/recycling department to learn about take-back programs in your community. See the FDA's Safe Disposal of Medicines website (http://goo.gl/c4Rm4p) for more information if you do not have access to a take-back program.

Be sure to follow all exercise and dietary recommendations made by your doctor or dietitian. It is important to eat a healthy diet, exercise regularly, and lose weight if necessary.

Avoid drinking alcohol. It lowers blood sugar and can cause side effects.

Avoid driving or operating machinery until you know how this medicine will affect you.

Get emergency medical help if you have signs of an allergic reaction to glipizide: hives; difficulty breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat.

Call your doctor at once if you have symptoms of low blood sugar:

• headache, irritability

• sweating, fast heart rate;

• dizziness, nausea; or

• hunger, feeling anxious or shaky.

Common glipizide side effects may include:

• diarrhea, constipation, gas;

• dizziness, drowsiness;

• tremors; or

• skin rash, redness, or itching.

This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

Sometimes it is not safe to use certain medications at the same time. Some drugs can affect your blood levels of other drugs you take, which may increase side effects or make the medications less effective.

Many drugs can interact with glipizide. This includes prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal products. Not all possible interactions are listed here. Tell your doctor about all your current medicines and any medicine you start or stop using.

Keep all appointments with your doctor and the laboratory. Your blood sugar and urine sugar levels should be checked regularly to determine your response to glipizide. Your doctor may order other lab tests, including glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), to check your response to glipizide. Your doctor will also tell you how to check your response to this medication by measuring your blood or urine sugar levels at home. Follow these instructions carefully.

If you are taking the extended-release tablets you may notice something that looks like a tablet in your bowel movement. This is just the empty tablet shell, and this does not mean that you did not get your complete dose of medication.

You should always wear a diabetic identification bracelet to be sure you get proper treatment in an emergency.

Do not let anyone else take your medication. Ask your pharmacist any questions you have about refilling your prescription.

It is important for you to keep a written list of all of the prescription and nonprescription (over-the-counter) medicines you are taking, as well as any products such as vitamins, minerals, or other dietary supplements. You should bring this list with you each time you visit a doctor or if you are admitted to a hospital. It is also important information to carry with you in case of emergencies.

• Metaglip® (containing Glipizide, Metformin)