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Medicines and devices

Sulfonylurea

Sulfonylureas, such as glipizide, glimepiride and glyburide, are older diabetes pills that push the pancreas to release insulin, which can cause lows and weight gain.

Clinician review pending Updated Medicines and devices
DefinitionSulfonylureas, such as glipizide, glimepiride and glyburide, are older diabetes pills that push the pancreas to release insulin, which can cause lows and weight gain.

What it means

Sulfonylureas make the pancreas release more insulin no matter what your blood sugar is. That is why they work quickly and cost little, and also why they can drop blood sugar too low, especially if you skip meals.

Common drugs in the class are glipizide, glimepiride and glyburide. Weight gain of a few pounds is a typical side effect.

GLP-1 medicines only boost insulin when blood sugar is high, so on their own they rarely cause lows. Combined with a sulfonylurea, the risk of low blood sugar rises, and every GLP-1 label on this site mentions it. Prescribers often lower or stop the sulfonylurea when a GLP-1 medicine is started, especially as appetite drops.

Know the signs of a low: shakiness, sweating, fast heartbeat, confusion and dizziness. Keep a fast-acting sugar source nearby.

Why it matters

A sulfonylurea plus a GLP-1 medicine is the most common setup for low blood sugar among people using this site's tools.

Related terms

HypoglycemiaInsulin (medicine)Type 2 diabetesLow blood sugar on GLP-1 medicines

Sources

  1. DailyMed: glipizide labels

Clinician review pending. Drafted from primary sources and waiting for sign-off by a licensed clinician (MD, DO or PharmD) before launch. Every number is checked against its source. Drug facts are re-checked quarterly, prices monthly and whenever a label changes. How we review · Report an error