Common questions about gliclazide

Gliclazide is a type of medicine known as a sulfonylurea. Sulfonylureas increase the amount of insulin that your pancreas makes. Insulin is the hormone that controls the level of sugar in your blood.

You may not have had any symptoms of diabetes, so you will not necessarily feel any different when you take gliclazide. This does not mean that gliclazide is not working. It's important to keep taking it.

Gliclazide will help keep your blood sugar level stable and reduce your chances of diabetes-related problems in the future.

Do not stop taking gliclazide without talking to your doctor. If you stop taking gliclazide suddenly, your diabetes may get worse.

There are other groups of medicines that can lower blood sugar levels:

• metformin
• pioglitazone
• DPP-4 inhibitors, such as saxagliptin
• SGLT2 inhibitors, such as dapagliflozin
• GLP-1 agonists, such as exenatide
• insulin

Gliclazide can be prescribed on its own or in combination with these medicines. It is usually prescribed if you cannot take metformin, or if metformin is no longer keeping your blood sugar level under control when used by itself.

Gliclazide is a sulfonylurea. There are 4 other sulfonylureas available:

• glibenclamide
• glimepiride
• glipizide
• tolbutamide

These all work in the same way, by increasing the amount of insulin your body makes.

Gliclazide can make you hungrier, so it can be quite challenging to avoid putting on weight while you're taking it.

Try to eat a healthy, balanced diet without increasing your portion sizes so you do not gain too much weight.

Regular exercise will also help keep your weight stable.

If you have diabetes, you're entitled to free prescriptions for all of your medicines, not just your diabetes ones.

To claim your free prescriptions, you'll need to have a medical exemption certificate. The application form for the medical exemption certificate is called FP92A. You can get this from your doctor's surgery.

You will need to fill in the form, then your doctor will sign it and send it off.

If you're going to have an operation, tell the doctor you're taking gliclazide. This is because gliclazide increases your risk of low blood sugar during the operation.

Low blood sugar can be difficult to detect when a general anaesthetic (that puts you to sleep) is used.

For a few days around the time of your operation, your doctor may temporarily switch you to insulin instead.

Gliclazide does not affect how any type of contraception works.

But you might need your gliclazide dose adjusting if you start taking the combined pill. This is because contraceptive pills can occasionally increase blood sugar levels.

If gliclazide makes you sick (vomit) or have severe diarrhoea for more than 24 hours, your contraceptive pills may not protect you from pregnancy. Check the pill packet to find out what to do.

Find out more:

• What to do if you're sick or have diarrhoea when taking the combined pill
• What to do if you're sick or have diarrhoea when taking the progestogen-only pill

If your blood sugar levels are stable, gliclazide should not affect your ability to drive, cycle or use machines or tools.

But if your blood sugar levels become too low, this can reduce your concentration. If this happens to you, do not drive, cycle or use machines or tools until you feel better.

It's an offence to drive a car if your ability to drive safely is affected. It's your responsibility to decide if it's safe to drive. If you're in any doubt, do not drive.

Talk to your doctor or pharmacist if you're unsure whether it's safe for you to drive while taking gliclazide. GOV.UK has more information on the law on drugs and driving.

Yes, you can drink alcohol while taking gliclazide, but it's best to drink no more than 2 units a day. Drinking more than this can increase the risk of low blood sugar.

Try to keep to the recommended guidelines of no more than 14 units of alcohol a week.

It's a good idea to cut down on foods with added sugar. Check the nutrition labels as many foods and drinks are high in sugar, such as:

• sweets
• cakes
• biscuits
• chocolate
• some fizzy drinks
• juice drinks

Be careful eating food and drink containing karela, as it can lower your blood sugar levels and mean your diabetes is not controlled as well as it should be. Karela (also called bitter gourd) is used to flavour foods such as curries like bitter gourd masala. It has a bitter taste and is also made into juice and tea.

There are some lifestyle changes you can make to help control the symptoms of type 2 diabetes. These include:

• eating a healthy diet
• losing any excess weight
• not smoking
• cutting down on alcohol – try to keep to the recommended guidelines of no more than 14 units of alcohol a week
• exercising – 30 minutes a day, 5 times a week is ideal