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What is sitagliptin?
Sitagliptin is an oral diabetes medicine that helps control blood sugar levels. It works by regulating the levels of insulin your body produces after eating.
Sitagliptin is for people with type 2 diabetes (non-insulin-dependent) diabetes. Sitagliptin is sometimes used in combination with other diabetes medications, but is not for treating type 1 diabetes.
Sitagliptin may also be used for other purposes not listed in this medication guide.
Precautions
Do not use this medication if you are allergic to sitagliptin, or if you are in a state of diabetic ketoacidosis (call your doctor for treatment with insulin).
Before taking sitagliptin, tell your doctor if you have kidney disease or if you are on dialysis. If you have any of these conditions, you may not be able to use sitagliptin, or you may need a dosage adjustment or special tests during treatment.
FDA pregnancy category B. This medication is not expected to be harmful to an unborn baby. Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant during treatment.
Your name may need to be listed on a sitagliptin pregnancy registry when you start using this medication.
It is not known whether sitagliptin passes into breast milk or if it could harm a nursing baby. Do not use this medication without telling your doctor if you are breast-feeding a baby.
Sitagliptin should not be given to a child younger than 18 years old without a doctor’s advice.
Follow your doctor’s instructions about any restrictions on food, beverages, or activity while you are taking sitagliptin.
Instructions
Seek emergency medical attention if you think you have used too much of this medicine. You may have signs of low blood sugar, such as hunger, headache, confusion, irritability, drowsiness, weakness, dizziness, tremors, sweating, fast heartbeat, seizure (convulsions), fainting, or coma.
Take the missed dose as soon as you remember (be sure to take the medicine with food if your doctor has instructed you to). If it is almost time for your next dose, skip the missed dose and take the medicine at the next regularly scheduled time. Do not take extra medicine to make up the missed dose.
Side Effects
Get emergency medical help if you have any of these signs of an allergic reaction: hives; difficulty breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat.
Call your doctor at once if you have fever, sore throat, and headache with a severe blistering, peeling, and red skin rash. These could be signs of a serious side effect.
Less serious side effects may include:
- runny or stuffy nose, sore throat;
- headache; or
- nausea, stomach pain, diarrhea.
This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.
Interactions
Before you take sitagliptin, tell your doctor if you are also taking digoxin (Lanoxicaps, Lanoxin). You may not be able to take sitagliptin, or you may require a dosage adjustment or special monitoring.
Although sitagliptin is not as likely to cause hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) as some other oral diabetes medications, tell your doctor if you are taking any other drugs that can potentially lower blood sugar, such as:
- probenecid (Benemid);
- nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs);
- aspirin or other salicylates (including Pepto-Bismol);
- sulfa drugs (Bactrim and others);
- a monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI); or
- beta-blockers (Tenormin and others).
This list is not complete and there may be other drugs that can interact with sitagliptin. Tell your doctor about all the prescription and over-the-counter medications you use. This includes vitamins, minerals, herbal products, and drugs prescribed by other doctors. Do not start using a new medication without telling your doctor.
Disclaimer
Every effort has been made to ensure that the information provided by Cerner Multum, Inc. ('Multum') is accurate, up-to-date, and complete, but no guarantee is made to that effect. Drug information contained herein may be time sensitive. Multum information has been compiled for use by healthcare practitioners and consumers in the United States and therefore Multum does not warrant that uses outside of the United States are appropriate, unless specifically indicated otherwise. Multum's drug information does not endorse drugs, diagnose patients or recommend therapy. Multum's drug information is an informational resource designed to assist licensed healthcare practitioners in caring for their patients and/or to serve consumers viewing this service as a supplement to, and not a substitute for, the expertise, skill, knowledge and judgment of healthcare practitioners. The absence of a warning for a given drug or drug combination in no way should be construed to indicate that the drug or drug combination is safe, effective or appropriate for any given patient. Multum does not assume any responsibility for any aspect of healthcare administered with the aid of information Multum provides. The information contained herein is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects. If you have questions about the drugs you are taking, check with your doctor, nurse or pharmacist.
Copyright 1996-2004 Cerner Multum, Inc. Version 2.05. Revision date 8/23/04