Jalra 50: Uses, How It Works, Side Effects
Also in: हिन्दी தமிழ் मराठी తెలుగు ಕನ್ನಡ বাংলা ગુજરાતી മലയാളം ਪੰਜਾਬੀ
Also known as: Jalra, Jalra 50 mg, Jalra 50 tablet, Vildagliptin 50 mg
Jalra 50 is a prescription tablet containing 50 mg of vildagliptin, used with diet and activity to lower blood sugar in adults with type 2 diabetes. It belongs to a group called DPP-4 inhibitors (gliptins). It is taken only on a doctor's prescription, and your doctor checks your liver with blood tests before and during treatment. It must not be started or stopped without a doctor.
- Active ingredient
- Vildagliptin 50 mg
- Type of medicine
- DPP-4 inhibitors
- Used for
- Type 2 diabetes
- Starts working in
- Blood sugar begins to fall after the first doses; your doctor checks progress with blood tests over weeks
- Effect lasts
- Follow the label or your doctor's advice on how often to take it
- With or without food
- Can be taken with or without food; follow the label or your doctor's advice
- Alcohol
- Best avoided or kept low, because alcohol disturbs blood sugar; ask your doctor
- Pregnancy
- Not recommended; tell your doctor if you are or may become pregnant
- Habit-forming
- No
- Made by
- USV Private Limited
Pharmacist review in progress. This page is based on the sources listed below and is being checked by our registered pharmacist.
On this page
What is Jalra 50 used for?
Jalra 50 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
- Used alone when metformin is unsuitable, or together with other diabetes medicines, including insulin, when a doctor judges it suitable
How does Jalra 50 work?
Vildagliptin blocks an enzyme (DPP-4) that breaks down gut hormones called incretins, so these hormones last longer after a meal. The pancreas then releases more insulin when blood sugar is high and the liver releases less sugar. It does not act when blood sugar is low.
What happens in your body after you take it
You swallow the tablet
The tablet dissolves in the gut and vildagliptin is absorbed into the blood. It can be taken with or without food.
It reaches the DPP-4 enzyme
Vildagliptin travels in the blood and attaches to the DPP-4 enzyme, which normally breaks down the incretin hormones released after eating.
Incretin hormones last longer
With the enzyme blocked, the incretin hormones stay active for longer.
Insulin rises, liver sugar falls
The pancreas releases more insulin when blood sugar is high, and the liver releases less sugar, so blood sugar falls. The effect fades when blood sugar is low.
The body clears it
The body breaks vildagliptin down and clears it mostly through the kidneys, so kidney and liver health matter. Your doctor tells you how often to take it.
How to take Jalra 50
Take Jalra 50 exactly as your doctor has prescribed or as printed on the pack. Your doctor decides the dose and how many tablets a day you need.
- Follow the label or your doctor's advice on how many times a day to take it.
- It can be taken with or without food.
- If you miss a dose, ask your doctor or pharmacist what to do; do not take two doses together to make up for it.
- Do not stop taking it on your own, because blood sugar may rise again; talk to your doctor first.
- Your doctor will arrange liver blood tests before you start and from time to time, along with blood sugar and HbA1c tests.
Side effects of Jalra 50
Most people take vildagliptin without serious problems. Dizziness is the most common side effect, and a few effects need medical help.
Uncommon or mild
- Dizziness
- Headache
- Tremor
- Feeling sick (nausea) or constipation
- Low blood sugar when taken together with insulin or a sulfonylurea: shaking, sweating, hunger
- Swelling of the hands, ankles or feet
Rare but serious: get medical help
- Yellow skin or eyes, dark urine, severe tiredness or stomach pain (possible liver problems). Get medical help and tell the doctor you take vildagliptin
- Severe, lasting pain in the stomach that may spread to the back, with or without vomiting (possible pancreatitis). Get medical help immediately
- Swelling of the face, lips, tongue or throat, or difficulty breathing (a severe allergic reaction). Get medical help immediately
- Blisters or peeling skin
- Shortness of breath, rapid weight gain or swelling of the legs (possible heart failure)
Who should be careful
Some people need to check with a doctor before taking Jalra 50, or need extra care while taking it.
When the label says not to use it
- Allergy to vildagliptin or any ingredient of the tablet
- Type 1 diabetes or diabetic ketoacidosis
- Liver disease, unless your doctor decides otherwise
- Liver disease: vildagliptin has been linked with liver problems, so liver blood tests are done before and during treatment. Tell your doctor if you have liver disease
- Kidney disease: the dose may need to change; tell your doctor
- Heart failure, pancreatitis or gallstones: tell your doctor
- Low blood sugar when used with insulin or a sulfonylurea: the doses of those may need to be lowered. Know the warning signs
- Illness with vomiting, diarrhoea or fever: contact your doctor or pharmacist for advice about your diabetes medicines. Do not stop on your own unless told
- Type 1 diabetes or diabetic ketoacidosis: it is not a treatment for these
- Past allergic reaction to vildagliptin
- Pregnancy and breastfeeding: not recommended; tell your doctor if you are pregnant, planning a baby or breastfeeding
- Driving: dizziness can affect it; do not drive if you feel dizzy
Medicines and things that interact with Jalra 50
Jalra 50 can change how other medicines work, and some medicines change its effect. Tell your doctor or pharmacist about everything you take, including herbal remedies.
- Insulin, sulfonylurea tablets (such as gliclazide or glimepiride) and other diabetes medicines: low blood sugar becomes more likely and doses may need to change
- ACE inhibitors (a group of blood pressure medicines): they may raise the chance of swelling of the face or throat (angioedema)
- Steroids (corticosteroids), thiazide water tablets and oestrogens: they can raise blood sugar
- Alcohol: it disturbs blood sugar
Effects on lab tests
- Liver function tests: before treatment and from time to time
- Blood sugar and HbA1c tests: used to check how well the diabetes is controlled
If someone takes too much
Taking too much vildagliptin can cause muscle pain, swelling, fever and other problems. If someone has taken much more than prescribed, call 112 or go to the nearest hospital and take the medicine pack with you.
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 vildagliptin is not on the CDSCO list of medicines banned under section 26A of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act. Jalra 50 contains vildagliptin only.
Other brands with the same medicine
Vildagliptin 50 mg tablets are sold under other brand names and as generic medicines. They contain the same medicine; check the label for the strength. Some products in the same brand family also contain metformin, so do not switch between them without asking your doctor.
Other strengths and forms
Vildagliptin is sold as 50 mg tablets and in combination tablets with metformin. The strength and contents are printed on the pack and are not the same across products, so check the label of the one you have.
Common questions
Is Jalra 50 a prescription medicine?
Yes. Vildagliptin is a prescription-only medicine in India. It should be taken only if a doctor has prescribed it, and it should not be started, stopped or changed without the doctor's advice. Keep taking it as directed even when you feel well.
Is Jalra 50 a medicine for sugar (diabetes)?
Yes. Jalra 50 contains vildagliptin, which is used to lower blood sugar in adults with type 2 diabetes, alongside diet and activity. It is not used for type 1 diabetes. Your doctor decides whether it suits you.
Why are liver tests needed with Jalra 50?
Vildagliptin has been linked with liver problems, so doctors check liver function before treatment and from time to time during it. Tell your doctor at once about yellow skin or eyes, dark urine or unusual tiredness.
Does Jalra 50 cause low blood sugar?
On its own it rarely does, because it works mainly when blood sugar is high. Low blood sugar is more likely when it is taken with insulin or a sulfonylurea. Know the warning signs and follow your doctor's plan.
Can I take Jalra 50 if I am ill or not eating?
Illness with vomiting, diarrhoea or fever, or not eating, can change blood sugar. Contact your doctor or pharmacist for advice about your diabetes medicines on those days. Do not stop or change it on your own unless you have been told how.
Can I drink alcohol while taking Jalra 50?
Alcohol disturbs blood sugar and can add to liver strain. It is best avoided or kept low. Ask your doctor what is reasonable for you.
What is the difference between Jalra 50 and vildagliptin 50 mg?
Jalra is a brand name, and vildagliptin is the medicine inside it. Generic vildagliptin 50 mg tablets contain the same active ingredient. Check the strength and ingredient list on the pack, and ask your doctor before switching products.
Sources
- Galvus (vildagliptin): EPAR medicine overview. European Medicines Agency
- Type 2 diabetes: treatment. NHS (UK)
- List of drugs prohibited for manufacture and sale through gazette notifications under section 26A of the Drugs & Cosmetics Act 1940. Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO)
- National Formulary of India. Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission