Product Details

Amaryl 1mg Tablets Product Information

Do not take Amaryl and tell your doctor if:
 You are allergic to: glimepiride or other sulfonylureas
(medicines used to lower your blood sugar such as
glibenclamide) or sulphonamides (medicines for bacterial
infections such as sulfamethoxazole) or any of the other
ingredients of this medicine (listed in section 6)
 You have Diabetes mellitus type I
 You have diabetic ketoacidosis (a complication of diabetes
when your acid level is raised in your body and you may
have some of the following signs: fatigue, feeling sick
(nausea), frequent urination and muscular stiffness)
 You are in a diabetic coma
 You have severe kidney disease
 You have a severe liver disease
Do not take this medicine if any of the above apply to you. If
you are not sure, talk to your doctor or pharmacist before taking
Amaryl

Warnings and precautions
Talk to your doctor or pharmacist before taking your
medicine if:
 You are recovering from any injury, operation, infections
with fever, or from other forms of stress, inform your doctor
as temporary change of treatment may be necessary
 You have a severe liver or kidney disorder
If you are not sure if any of these apply to you, talk to your
doctor or pharmacist before taking Amaryl.
Lowering of the haemoglobin level and breakdown of red blood
cells (haemolytic anaemia) can occur in patients missing the
enzyme glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase.
The information available on the use of Amaryl in people under
18 years of age is limited. Therefore, its use in these patients is
not recommended.
Important information about hypoglycaemia (low blood
sugar)
When you take Amaryl, you may get hypoglycaemia (low blood
sugar). Please see below for additional information about
hypoglycaemia, its signs and treatment.
Following factors could increase the risk of you getting
hypoglycaemia:
 Undernourishment, irregular meal time, missed or delayed
meal or period of fasting
 Changes to your diet
 Taking more Amaryl than needed
 Having kidneys that do not work properly
 Having severe liver disease
 If you suffer from particular hormone-induced disorders
(disorders of the thyroid glands, of the pituitary gland or
adrenal cortex)
 Drinking alcohol (especially when you skip a meal)
 Taking certain other medicines (see below ‘Other medicines
and Amaryl’)
 If you increase the amount of exercise you do and you don’t
eat enough food or eat food containing less carbohydrate
than usual.
Signs of hypoglycaemia include:
 Hunger pangs, headache, nausea, vomiting, sluggishness,
sleepiness, problems, sleeping, restlessness, aggression,
problems with concentration, reduced alertness and
reaction time, depression, confusion, problems with your
speech and sight, slurred speech, shakiness, partial
paralysis, dizziness, helplessness

The following signs may also occur: sweating, clammy skin,
anxiety, fast or increased heart beat, high blood pressure,
awareness of your heart beat, sudden strong pain in the
breast that may radiate into neighbouring areas (angina
pectoris and cardiac arrhythmias). If blood sugar levels
continue to drop you may suffer from considerable
confusion (delirium), develop fits, lose self control, breathing
may be shallow and your heart beat slowed down, you may
fall into unconsciousness. The clinical procedure of a
severe reduced blood sugar level may resemble that of a
stroke.
Treating hypoglycaemia:
In most cases the signs of reduced blood sugar vanish very
quickly when you consume some form of sugar, e.g. sugar
cubes, sweet juice, sweetened tea.
You should therefore always take some form of sugar with you
(e.g. sugar cubes). Remember that artificial sweeteners are not
effective. Please contact your doctor or go to the hospital if
taking sugar does not help or if the symptoms recur.
Laboratory tests
The level of sugar in your blood or urine should be checked
regularly. Your doctor may also take blood tests to monitor your
blood cell levels and liver function.
Children and adolescents
Amaryl is not recommended for use in children under 18 years of age.

Other medicines and Amaryl
Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking, have recently
taken or might take any other medicines.
Your doctor may wish to change your dose of Amaryl if you are
taking other medicines, which may weaken or strengthen the
effect of Amaryl on the level of sugar in your blood.
The following medicines can increase the blood sugar lowering
effect of Amaryl. This can lead to a risk of hypoglycaemia (low
blood sugar):
 Other medicines to treat diabetes mellitus (such as insulin
or metformin)
 Medicines to treat pain and inflammation (phenylbutazone,
azopropazone, oxyphenbutazone, aspirin-like medicines)
 Medicines to treat urinary infections (such as some
long acting sulphonamides)
 Medicines to treat bacterial and fungal infections
(tetracyclines, chloramphenicol, fluconazole, miconazole,
quinolones, clarithromycin)
 Medicines to inhibit blood clotting (coumarin derivatives
such as warfarin)
 Medicines supporting muscle build up (anabolics)
 Medicines used for male sex hormone replacement therapy
 Medicines to treat depression (fluoxetine, MAO-inhibitors)
 Medicines lowering high cholesterol level (fibrates)
 Medicines lowering high blood pressure (ACE inhibitors)
 Medicines called anti-arrhythmic agents used to control
abnormal heart beat (disopyramide)
 Medicines to treat gout (allopurinol, probenecid,
sulfinpyrazone)
 Medicines to treat cancer (cyclophosphamide, ifosfamide,
trofosfamide)
 Medicines used to reduce weight (fenfluramine)
 Medicines to increase circulation when given in a high dose
intravenous infusion (pentoxifylline)
 Medicines used to treat nasal allergies such as hay fever
(tritoqualine)
 Medicines called sympatholytics to treat high blood
pressure, heart failure, or prostate symptoms.
The following medicines may decrease the blood sugar
lowering effect of Amaryl. This can lead to a risk of
hyperglycaemia (high blood sugar level):
 Medicines containing female sex hormones (oestrogens,
progestogens)
 Medicines to treat high blood pressure called thiazide
diuretics (water tablets)
 Medicines used to stimulate the thyroid gland (such as
levothyroxine)
 Medicines to treat allergies and inflammation
(glucocorticoids)
 Medicines to treat severe mental disorders (chlorpromazine
and other phenothiazine derivatives)
 Medicines used to raise heart beat, to treat asthma or nasal
congestion, coughs and colds, used to reduce weight, or
used in life-threatening emergencies (adrenaline and
sympathomimetics)
 Medicines to treat high cholesterol level (nicotinic acid)
 Medicines to treat constipation when they are used
long term (laxatives)
 Medicines to treat fits (phenytoin)
 Medicines to treat nervousness and sleep problems
(barbiturates)
 Medicines to treat increased pressure in the eye
(azetazolamide)
 Medicines to treat high blood pressure or low blood sugar
(diazoxide)
 Medicines to treat infections, tuberculosis (rifampicine)
 Medicines to treat severe low blood sugar levels (glucagon)
The following medicines can increase or decrease the blood
sugar lowering effect of Amaryl:
 Medicines to treat stomach ulcers (called H2 antagonists)
 Medicines to treat high blood pressure or heart failure such
as beta-blockers, clonidine, guanethidine and reserpine.
These can also hide the signs of hypoglycaemia, so special
care is needed when taking these medicines.
Amaryl may either increase or weaken the effects of the
following medicines:
 Medicines inhibiting blood clotting (coumarin derivatives
such as warfarin)
Colesevelam, a medicine used to reduce cholesterol, has an
effect on the absorption of Amaryl. To avoid this effect, you
should be advised to take Amaryl at least 4 hours before
colesevelam.
Amaryl with food, drink and alcohol
Alcohol intake may increase or decrease the blood sugar lower
action of Amaryl in an unpredictable way.

Pregnancy and breast-feeding
Pregnancy
Amaryl should not be taken during pregnancy. Tell your doctor if
you are, you think you might be or are planning to become
pregnant.
Breast-feeding
Amaryl may pass into breast milk. Amaryl should not be taken
during breast-feeding.
Ask your doctor or pharmacist for advice before taking any
medicine.