What are the Effects of Glimepiride Capsules?

After being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, patients need to monitor their blood sugar levels daily and take insulin regularly and quantitatively. Glimepiride capsules, as an insulin secretagogue, are a commonly used oral hypoglycemic drug for diabetes patients. Generally, it is recommended to use glimepiride capsules under the guidance of a doctor to avoid serious complications such as hypoglycemia. Dosage and administration should be taken orally as prescribed by the doctor.

For diabetes patients, there is no fixed dosage for glimepiride or any other hypoglycemic drugs. It is necessary to regularly measure fasting blood glucose and glycated hemoglobin to determine the minimum effective dosage for patients. Glycated hemoglobin levels should be measured to monitor the therapeutic effect of the patient. The usual starting dosage is 1-2 mg once daily, taken at breakfast or the first main meal. Patients who are sensitive to hypoglycemic drugs should start with 1 mg once daily and carefully adjust the dosage.

There is no precise dosage relationship between glimepiride and other oral hypoglycemic drugs. The maximum initial dosage of glimepiride should not exceed 2 mg. The usual maintenance dosage is 1-4 mg once daily, and the recommended maximum maintenance dosage is 6 mg once daily. After the dosage reaches 2 mg, the dosage can be increased based on the patient's blood sugar changes, with an increase of no more than 2 mg every 1-2 weeks.

Adverse reactions may include hypoglycemia, which can be caused by this drug, especially in elderly and physically weak patients during the initial treatment phase, irregular eating, alcohol consumption, and liver or kidney function impairment. The reported incidence is 2%. Digestive symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain are rare. There have been individual cases of elevated serum liver transaminases. Skin allergies, itching, erythema, and urticaria are also rare. Other rare adverse reactions include headache, fatigue, and dizziness.

Notes for patients: 1. Take the medication as prescribed by the doctor, and pay attention to diet, exercise, and medication time. 2. During treatment, be aware of early symptoms of hypoglycemia such as headache, excitement, insomnia, tremor, and excessive sweating, so that timely measures can be taken. In severe cases, intravenous glucose infusion may be required. Patients with trauma, post-operative conditions, infection, or fever should be given insulin to maintain normal blood sugar metabolism. 3. Avoid alcohol consumption to prevent alcohol-related withdrawal reactions.