Side effects
The most common side effects associated with Glucotrol XL are:
- headache
- feeling or being sick
- dizziness
- drowsiness
- irritability
- confusion
- shakiness
- blurred vision
- rashes, sores, redness, itching
- hypoglycemia (low blood glucose)
- hyponatremia (low blood sodium)
- decreased heartbeat
- elevated liver enzymes
- stomach pain
- nausea
- vomiting
- diarrhea
Side effects occurrence does not only depend on the medication you are taking but also on your overall health and other factors.
Contraindications
Do not take Glucotrol XL if you are allergic to Glipizide, drug excipients or any of the other medicines from the same drug class i.e., sulphonamides, sulphonylureas.
Do not use the medicine if you have type 1 diabetes mellitus, diabetic ketoacidosis (a serious diabetes mellitus complication when cells in the body are unable to get the glucose they need for energy as there is not enough insulin).
Do not give the medication to patients in a diabetic pre-coma or coma (a life-threatening diabetes complication that causes unconsciousness).
Do not use Glucotrol XL if you suffer from severe kidneys or liver disorders.
Do not take the tablets if you have a glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency (G6PDD) (a disease that causes abnormal destruction of your red blood cells).
Use the medicine with caution if you have serious cardiovascular diseases.
Be careful with the drug intake if you have an impaired thyroid, pituitary, or adrenal function.
Do not take Glucotrol XL in combination with some medicines used to treat fungal infections (miconazole, fluconazole), coumarin anticoagulants to prevent blood clots (e.g., warfarin), cholesterol-lowering drugs (like clofibrate), other anti-diabetic medicines (such as biguanides), probenecid (a medication used to treat gout or to increase the blood levels of some antibiotics), monoamine oxidase inhibitors for the treatment of depression, H2 receptor antagonists (e.g., cimetidine) used to treat reflux and ulcers, some medicines used to treat cancer (like cyclophosphamide).
Be careful with the use of Glucotrol XL while taking some medications which may interrupt with your diabetes mellitus control. These include calcium channel blocking medicines for the treatment of high blood pressure, corticosteroids (such as prednisone and cortisone), glucagon, used to treat low blood glucose, nicotinic acid, taken for blood fats lowering, drugs to treat tuberculosis (like isoniazid), oestrogens, progestogens, oral contraceptives and some other hormonal treatments (such as danazol), phenothiazines, used in the treatment of mental illness or psychotic disorders, phenytoin, a medicine used to treat convulsions (epilepsy), thiazides, thyroid hormones.
Avoid alcohol consumption while on Glucotrol XL tablets to prevent the occurrence of adverse effects.
Make sure you know how you react to the medication before driving or operating machinery, as the drug may cause dizziness, drowsiness or lower the ability to concentrate.
Do not take the medicine if you are pregnant or breastfeeding without seeing your doctor first.
Do not give the medication to patients younger than 18 years of age.