Glynase XL 5 mg is a prescription treatment for patients with type 2 diabetes, an oral blood-glucose-lowering drug of the sulfonylurea class. Your doctor has prescribed Glynase XL because your current treatment, including diet and exercise, has not been able to control your blood glucose level.

Your body produces insulin to keep the amount of blood sugar in your bloodstream at the normal level. With type 2 diabetes:

  — Your body may not be producing enough insulin

  — Your body may not be using the insulin that your body has already produced

  — The sugar level in your bloodstream is too high.

If your blood sugar level is not under control, it can lead to serious medical problems such as renal impairment, blindness, problems with circulation, nerve damage, high blood pressure,  stroke, or heart attack.      

Glipizide is the main salt composition of Glynase; it is one of the most commonly used antidiabetic drugs for treating type 2 diabetes mellitus. It is used for pancreatic secretion of insulin. Glipizide works by:

  — Helping the body release more of its insulin

  — Helping your body to respond better to its insulin

  — Lowering the amount of sugar produced by the body

Even after you take Glynase XL 5 mg, you must continue following your diet and exercise program.   

There is no fixed dosage regimen for managing diabetes mellitus with Glipizide or any other hypoglycemic agent. Along with the usual monitoring of urinary glucose, the patient’s blood glucose must also be monitored periodically to determine the minimum effective dose for the patient; to determine primary failure.  

Short-term use of Glynase XL 5 mg may be sufficient during the transient loss of control in patients usually controlled well on a diet. Generally, Glipizide should be given approximately half an hour before a meal to achieve the greatest reduction in postprandial hyperglycemia. Some patients may be effectively controlled on a once-a-day regimen.   

Do not use Glynase XL if you have a condition called ketoacidosis. It should not be given if you have ever had an allergic reaction to Glipizide or any of the ingredients in Glynase XL tablets. Only your doctor decides if Glipizide is appropriate for you. Before you start taking medicine, tell your doctor if any of the following applies to you:

  — Kidney or liver problems,

  — Chronic diarrhoea

  — Blockage or narrowing of your intestines due to illness or post-surgery

  — Chronic diarrhoea

  — Are you pregnant or planning a pregnancy. Your doctor may switch you to insulin injections sometime during your pregnancy. You should not take Glipizide during the last month of pregnancy.

  — Are breastfeeding. Glynase XL may pass to the baby through your milk and cause harm to the baby.

Glynase XL may lower your blood sugar to life-threatening low levels. This can happen if you do not follow the diet, exercise, drink alcohol, are depressed, or get sick. Low blood sugar can also happen if your dose is higher than you need.