The name of your medicine is Chemmart Gliclazide MR. It contains the active ingredient gliclazide.
The tablets release the gliclazide gradually over 24 hours.
The medicine is used to control, blood glucose in patients with Type II diabetes mellitus.
This type of diabetes is also known as non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) or maturity onset diabetes.
Gliclazide is used when diet and exercise are not enough to control your blood glucose.
Gliclazide can be used alone, or together with other medicines for treating diabetes
Ask your doctor if you have any questions about why this medicine has been prescribed for you. Your doctor may have prescribed this medicine for another reason.
This medicine is available only with a doctor's prescription.
Gliclazide belongs to a group of medicines called the sulfonylureas.
Gliclazide lowers high blood glucose by increasing the amount of insulin produced by your pancreas.
Glucose is used by the body as fuel, and all people have glucose circulating in their blood.
In diabetes, levels of blood glucose are higher than is needed. This is called hyperglycaemia.
A section at the end of this leaflet contains advice about recognising and treating hyperglycaemia.
It is very important to control high blood glucose whether or not you feel unwell. This really helps to avoid serious long-term health problems, which can involve the heart, eyes, circulation, and/or kidneys.
As with many medicines used for the treatment of diabetes, there is a possibility that blood glucose levels may become very low during treatment with gliclazide.
This is known as hypoglycaemia.
A section at the end of this leaflet contains advice about recognising and treating hypoglycaemia.
There is no evidence that this medicine is addictive.
Be careful driving or operating machinery until you know how gliclazide affects you.
Gliclazide may cause dizziness and drowsiness in some people.
This medicine should not be used in children.
Do not take this medicine if:
1. You have or have had any of the following:
2. You are pregnant or planning to become pregnant.
3. You are breast-feeding or plan to breast-feed.
4. You are using miconazole to treat fungal infections.
5. You are taking medicines called phenylbutazone or danazol. You should not take these while taking gliclazide.
6. The expiry date (EXP) printed on the pack has passed.
7. The packaging is torn, shows signs of tampering or it does not look quite right.
8. You have had an allergic reaction to:
Before you start taking this medicine, tell your doctor if:
1. You have allergies to:
2. You have or have had any medical conditions, especially the following:
3. You have any medical condition, or do anything, that may increase the risk of hyperglycaemia - for example:
4. You are taking a medicine called a beta-blocker.
5. You have any medical condition, or do anything, that may increase the risk of hypoglycaemia - for example:
6. You are currently pregnant or you plan to become pregnant.
7. You are currently breast-feeding or you plan to breast-feed.
8. You do not have regular meals
9. You are taking or are planning to take any other medicines.
Some medicines may interact with gliclazide. These include:
If you are taking any of these you may need a different dose or you may need to take different medicines.
Remember to keep checking your blood glucose levels.
Drinking alcohol can also affect your blood sugar levels and how well gliclazide works. If taken with gliclazide, it can also cause flushing of the face, throbbing headache, giddiness, fast breathing, fast heart rate, angina, stomach pains or feeling sick or vomiting.
Other medicines not listed above may also interact with gliclazide.
Follow carefully all directions given to you by your doctor or pharmacist or diabetes educator.
Their instructions may be different to the information in this leaflet.
Your doctor or pharmacist will tell you how much of this medicine you should take. This will depend on your condition and whether you are taking any other medicines.
The starting dose is usually 30 mg per day. This will be adjusted slowly over several weeks, depending on how well your body responds to the dose.
The usual dose of this medicine may vary from one to four tablets each day.
Your doctor may increase or decrease the dose, depending on your blood glucose levels.
Do not stop taking your medicine or change your dosage without first checking with your doctor.
Swallow the tablets whole with a glass of water.
Do not crush the tablets or break them.
Take it at about the same time each day, usually with breakfast.
Taking these tablets with food can help to minimise the risk of hypoglycaemia.
It will also help you remember when to take them.
Do not skip meals while taking these tablets.
Gliclazide can help to control your blood glucose level, but it cannot cure your Type 2 diabetes.
Gliclazide treatment is usually for a long period of time - so you should keep taking the tablets regularly unless advised otherwise by your doctor.
Make sure you have enough to last over weekends and holidays.
Take your next planned dose at the usual time and continue as normal.
Do not take a double dose to make up for the dose that you missed.
If you double a dose, this may cause hypoglycaemia (low blood glucose).
If you are not sure what to do, ask your doctor or pharmacist.
If you have trouble remembering to take your medicine, ask your pharmacist for some hints to help you remember.
If you think that you or anyone else may have taken too much of this medicine, immediately telephone your doctor or the Poisons Information Centre (Tel: 13 11 26 in Australia) for advice. Alternatively go to the Accident and Emergency Department at your nearest hospital.
Do this even if there are no signs of discomfort or poisoning. You may need urgent medical attention.
If you take too much gliclazide you may experience symptoms of hypoglycaemia (low blood glucose).
If not treated quickly, these symptoms may progress to loss of co-ordination, slurred speech, confusion, loss of consciousness and fitting.
At the first signs of hypoglycaemia (low blood glucose), raise your blood glucose quickly by taking jelly beans, sugar or honey, (non-diet) soft drink or glucose tablets.
Note that artificial sweeteners will not help to raise your blood sugar levels.
Take your tablets exactly as your doctor has prescribed.
Otherwise you may not get the full benefits from treatment.
Make sure you check your blood glucose levels regularly. This is the best way to tell if your diabetes is being controlled properly.
Your doctor or diabetes educator will show you how and when to do this.
Make sure that you, your friends, family and work colleagues can recognise the symptoms of hypoglycaemia (low blood glucose) and hyperglycaemia (high blood glucose) and know what to do.
Instructions at the end of this leaflet can help you with this.
Visit your doctor for regular blood tests and checks of your eyes, feet, kidneys, heart, circulation, blood, and blood pressure.
Carefully follow your doctor's and dietician's advice on diet, drinking alcohol and exercise.
Tell your doctor immediately if you notice the return of any symptoms of hyperglycaemia that you had before starting gliclazide, or if your blood sugar levels are high.
These may be signs that gliclazide is no longer working, even though you may have been taking it successfully for some time.
If you are elderly or are taking other medicines for diabetes such as insulin or metformin, the risk of hypoglycaemia (low blood glucose) is increased.
The risk of hypoglycaemia (low blood glucose) is also increased in the following situations:
If you experience any of the signs of high blood glucose (hyperglycaemia), contact your doctor immediately.
The risk of hyperglycaemia (high blood glucose) is increased in the following situations:
If you become ill or experience extra stress, injury, fever, infection or need surgery, tell your doctor.
Your blood glucose may become difficult to control at these times. Your doctor may decide to change your treatment and use insulin instead of gliclazide.
Tell your doctor that you are taking this medicine if:
Tell any other doctors, dentists and pharmacists who are treating you that you take this medicine.
Do not:
Be careful when driving or operating machinery until you know how this medicine affects you.
Gliclazide may cause dizziness and drowsiness in some people.
Drinking alcohol can make this worse. If you do feel dizzy or drowsy, do not drive, operate machinery or do anything else that could be dangerous.
Be careful not to let your blood glucose levels fall too low.
Low blood glucose levels may slow your reaction time and affect your ability to drive or operate machinery.
A section at the end of this leaflet contains advice about recognising and treating hypoglycaemia.
If you are travelling, it is a good idea to:
If you become sick with a cold, fever or flu, it is very important to continue taking gliclazide, even if you feel unable to eat your normal meal.
If you have trouble eating solid food, use sugar-sweetened drinks as a carbohydrate substitute or eat small amounts of bland food.
Your diabetes educator or dietician can give you a list of foods to use for sick days.
Tell your doctor, pharmacist, or diabetes educator as soon as possible if you do not feel well while you are taking gliclazide or if you have any questions or concerns.
Do not be alarmed by the following lists of side effects. You may not experience any of them. All medicines can have side effects. Sometimes they are serious but most of the time they are not.
Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you notice any of the following and they worry you.
This list includes the more common side effects. Mostly, these are mild:
Tell your doctor as soon as possible if you notice any of the following.
These may be serious side effects. You may need medical attention. Most of these side effects are rare.
If you experience any of the following, stop taking your medicine and contact your doctor immediately or go to the Accident and Emergency department at your nearest hospital.
These are very serious side effects and are usually very rare. You may need urgent medical attention or hospitalisation.
Other side effects not listed above may occur in some patients.
If you think you are having an allergic reaction to gliclazide, do not take any more of this medicine and tell your doctor immediately or go to the Accident and Emergency department at your nearest hospital.
Symptoms of an allergic reaction may include some or all of the following:
Keep your medicine in its original packaging until it is time to take it.
If you take your medicine out of its original packaging it may not keep well.
Keep your medicine in a cool dry place where the temperature will stay below 30°C. Protect it from moisture.
Do not store your medicine, or any other medicine, in the bathroom or near a sink. Do not leave it on a window sill or in the car. Heat and dampness can destroy some medicines.
Keep this medicine where children cannot reach it.
A locked cupboard at least one-and-a-half metres above the ground is a good place to store medicines.
If your doctor or pharmacist tells you to stop taking this medicine or it has passed its expiry date, your pharmacist can dispose of the remaining medicine safely.
White to off-white, flat faced, beveled edge, capsule shaped tablets, engraved "APO 30" on one side and plain on the other side.
Blister pack of 100 tablets.
Bottles of 100 tablets.
* Not all pack types may be available.
Each tablet contains 30 mg of gliclazide as the active ingredient.
It also contains the following inactive ingredients:
This medicine is gluten-free, lactose-free, sucrose-free, tartrazine-free and free of other azo dyes.
Chemmart Gliclazide MR
30 mg Tablets
Blister Packs
AUST R 151304.