Glizid 30: Uses, How It Works, Side Effects

What is Glizid 30 used for?

Glizid 30 is a prescription medicine. It is used, on a doctor's advice, to help control blood sugar in adults with type 2 diabetes.

• Lowering blood sugar in adults with type 2 diabetes, together with diet and physical activity
• Not for type 1 diabetes

How does Glizid 30 work?

Gliclazide acts on the insulin-making cells of the pancreas and makes them release more insulin. More insulin helps the body move sugar out of the blood. In a modified-release tablet the medicine is let out slowly over many hours.

What happens in your body after you take it

1. You swallow the tablet whole

   The modified-release tablet is swallowed whole with water. It dissolves slowly in the gut, and gliclazide is absorbed into the blood over many hours.

2. It reaches the pancreas

   Gliclazide travels in the blood to the pancreas, where it attaches to the insulin-making (beta) cells.

3. The cells release more insulin

   Attaching to the cells makes them release more insulin, whether or not blood sugar is high at that moment.

4. Blood sugar falls

   With more insulin available, muscles and other tissues take up more sugar from the blood, and blood sugar comes down. Too much effect, or a missed meal, can bring it down too far.

5. The body clears it

   The liver breaks gliclazide down and the products leave mostly in the urine. People with severe kidney or liver disease clear it poorly, and it is usually not suitable for them.

How to take Glizid 30

Take Glizid 30 exactly as your doctor has prescribed or as printed on the pack. Your doctor decides the dose and may change it over several weeks.

• It is usually taken once a day with breakfast or a meal, at about the same time each day. Follow the label or your doctor's advice.
• Swallow the tablet whole with water. Ask your doctor or pharmacist before breaking or crushing it, because it is a modified-release tablet.
• Do not skip meals while taking it: with no food, blood sugar can fall too low.
• If you miss a dose, take it when you remember, unless it is almost time for the next one. Do not take two doses together.
• Do not stop taking it on your own, because blood sugar may rise again; talk to your doctor first.

Side effects of Glizid 30

Low blood sugar is the main side effect of Glizid 30. Other effects are usually milder, but a few need medical help.

Uncommon or mild

• Low blood sugar: dizziness, shaking, sweating, intense hunger, nausea, vomiting or tiredness
• Stomach pain or diarrhoea
• Weight gain

Who should be careful

Some people need to check with a doctor before taking Glizid 30, or need extra care while taking it.

• Low blood sugar is more likely if you skip or delay meals, drink alcohol, exercise hard, are older, or have kidney or liver problems. Know the warning signs and tell family or colleagues what to do
• Severe kidney or liver disease, or acute porphyria: it is usually not suitable
• G6PD deficiency: red blood cells may break down; tell your doctor
• Beta-blockers can hide the warning signs of low blood sugar
• Illness with vomiting, diarrhoea, fever or not eating: blood sugar can fall or rise; contact your doctor or pharmacist for advice about your diabetes medicines. Do not stop on your own unless told
• Surgery, a procedure with fasting, or a new serious illness or injury: tell the doctor that you take it
• Driving or using machinery: low blood sugar or dizziness can affect concentration. Check with your doctor
• Pregnancy and breastfeeding: not usually used; your doctor may suggest another treatment. Tell your doctor if you are pregnant, planning a baby or breastfeeding
• Past serious reaction to gliclazide or similar medicines

Medicines and things that interact with Glizid 30

Glizid 30 can change how other medicines work, and some medicines change its effect. Tell your doctor or pharmacist about everything you take, including herbal remedies and painkillers bought over the counter.

• Insulin and other diabetes medicines (including newer injections for sugar and weight): low blood sugar becomes more likely, and doses may need to change
• Some antibiotics such as clarithromycin, and antifungal medicines such as fluconazole and miconazole: they can raise its effect and cause low blood sugar
• NSAID painkillers such as ibuprofen or diclofenac, and some blood pressure and heart medicines: they can strengthen the blood-sugar-lowering effect or hide the warning signs
• Steroids (corticosteroids), thiazide water tablets and oestrogens: they can raise blood sugar and weaken its effect
• Alcohol: it can cause low blood sugar and unpredictable effects

If someone takes too much

Storage

Store below 30 C in a dry place, protected from moisture, in the original strip, and out of the reach of children. Do not use after the expiry date. Check the pack for the exact storage instructions.

Regulatory status in India

Approved for sale in India as a prescription medicine. Single-ingredient gliclazide is not on the CDSCO list of medicines banned under section 26A of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, but several fixed-dose combinations of gliclazide with pioglitazone or metformin have been banned, so check the ingredient list on the pack. Glizid 30 contains gliclazide only.

Other brands with the same medicine

Gliclazide 30 mg modified-release tablets are sold under other brand names and as generic medicines. They contain the same medicine; check the label for the strength and the modified-release (MR) wording. Gliclazide is also sold in other strengths and tablet types and in combinations with other medicines, so do not switch between products without asking your doctor.

Other strengths and forms

Gliclazide is sold in different strengths, as ordinary and modified-release tablets, and in combination tablets with other diabetes medicines. Several combinations of gliclazide with pioglitazone or metformin have been banned in India, so check the ingredient list on the pack of the one you have.

Common questions