About Repaglinide (Prandin)
(See detailed Medicine Prescription Information here)
Repaglinide is an oral drug your doctor may recommend for managing your type 2 diabetes mellitus blood sugar levels. It is a member of a group of medicines called meglitinides or Glinides. Other diabetes medications may occasionally be provided in addition to it if necessary. It needs to be used along with a balanced diet and frequent exercise.
What is Repaglinide used for?
Repaglinide is used to help people with type 2 diabetes to lower their blood sugar levels when diet and exercise are insufficient to control their blood sugar levels. Repaglinide is suitable for patients whose blood sugar is not controlled with metformin or rosiglitazone alone.
How does Repaglinide (Prandin) work?
An oral diabetes medication called repaglinide encourages your body to release more insulin when your blood sugar levels are too high. As previously indicated, it belongs to the meglitinides medication class. Stimulating the release of insulin from the pancreatic beta cells lowers blood sugar levels. By encouraging blood sugar absorption into fat, liver, and skeletal muscle cells, insulin regulates the breakdown of meals (carbohydrates, lipids, and protein).
How to take this medication?
Your doctor will prescribe Repaglinide depending on your individual needs. It would help if you took it exactly as prescribed by your doctor. The dose can be taken with food, usually 15 minutes before a meal. However, take Repaglinide 30 minutes before or even right before a meal.
What is the Dosage of Repaglinide?
Prandin tablets contain 0.5 mg, 1 mg, or 2 mg of Repaglinide. In addition, each tablet contains the following inactive ingredients: calcium hydrogen phosphate(anhydrous), microcrystalline cellulose, maize starch, polacrilin potassium, povidone, glycerol(85%), magnesium stearate, meglumine, and poloxamer. The 1 mg and 2 mg tablets contain iron oxides (yellow and red, respectively) as coloring agents.
Always adhere to your doctor’s recommendations. How many tablets you should take and how frequently you should take them will be determined by your doctor. Your doctor can occasionally alter your dose to achieve the optimum results. Never take doses greater than prescribed by your doctor, nor for periods longer than those advised.
Typically, Repaglinide is ingested two to four times per day, 30 minutes before meals. Do not take the dose if you chance to skip a meal; instead, wait until your next meal.
Initially, a patient will be administered 0.5 mg with each meal, and healthcare personnel will monitor the patient’s blood glucose and glycosylated hemoglobin periodically to determine the minimum and maximum effective dose for the patient.
The recommended dose range is 0.5 to 4 mg taken orally with each meal, with a daily dose maximum of 16 mg.
Individualized Therapy
For first-time patients with HbA1c < 8%, the starting dose should be 0.5 mg with each meal. For other patients with HbA1c> 8%, the initial dose is 1 or 2 mg taken with each meal preprandial (within 30 minutes before eating a meal or just before each meal).
The initial dose is typically 1 to 2 mg taken orally with each meal for patients who have received prior treatment with anti-diabetic drugs or whose HbA1c is 8% or higher.
In response to your blood sugar medication, doses are changed until an acceptable blood sugar level is attained. Your doctor may boost your dose up to a maximum mealtime dose of 4 mg. After each dose modification, you should give yourself at least a week to see how your blood sugar level responds.
Your blood sugar levels will need to be monitored if a patient is stressed, ill, traveling, undergoing surgery, experiencing a medical emergency, engaging in severe activity, drinking alcohol, or skipping meals. Therefore, it is essential to monitor your blood sugar level constantly. All of these factors may impact your blood sugar levels, which could also alter the dosage requirements. Therefore, you need to consult your doctor to change your regimen or dosage.
Repaglinide is just one component of your treatment plan, which may also involve a balanced diet, regular exercise, weight loss monitoring, blood sugar monitoring, and specific medical attention. Always adhere as closely as possible to your doctor’s recommendations.
Overdose – Repaglinide
A hypoglycemic condition may occur if you take more Repaglinide than is advised and your blood sugar level drops too low. Symptoms of hypoglycemia are Headache, nausea, fatigue, dizziness, anxiousness, rapid heartbeat, shakiness, and sweating are among the signs of such an incident. If you suffer any of these signs, call your doctor right away.
Warnings and Precautions while using Repaglinide
Avoid taking this medicine if:
- If any of the other chemicals, including Repaglinide, cause you to have a recognized allergy or hypersensitivity
- Having type 1 diabetes
- If you have a severe liver condition
- Those that have diabetic ketoacidosis (an accumulation of ketones in the blood and urine)
- If you use the medication gemfibrozil (used to lower increased fat levels in the blood)
- If you use the medication clopidogrel (used to prevent blood clots)
Note: Do not use this medicine for the treatment of children and adolescents under the age of 18.
If you skip a meal, exercise for an extended period, consume a lot of alcohol or use additional diabetes drugs, it may result in hypoglycemia (low blood sugar).
Find out from your doctor what to do if you suffer from low blood sugar symptoms and the symptoms themselves. Remember to check your blood sugar levels as directed by your doctor.
Repaglinide Side Effects
Some Common side effects:
- Abdominal pain
- Visual disturbances (including blurred vision)
- Constipation
- Nausea
- Vomiting
Less common adverse effects:
- Liver dysfunction
- Itching
- Abnormal blood test results
- Redness
- Rash
- Hives
Discuss any adverse effect that bothers you or does not go away with your healthcare professional. For medical advice about side effects, contact your doctor.
Remember that regular physical exercise is crucial to treating diabetes or managing prediabetes, along with your diet planning, weight management, and medications. Because your cells become more responsive to insulin while you are active, your blood glucose, also known as blood sugar, can be lowered more successfully. Take your medications regularly and follow up with your healthcare specialist.