Glipizide is an oral medication which is used for treating people with type 2 diabetes. It is a sulfonylurea-type drug that includes glimepiride or Amaryl, glyburide or Micronase, Diabeta, tolbutamide or Orinase and tolazamide or Tolinase.

Currently, there are no universally accepted off-label uses for glipizide.

It is important for you discuss with your physician before starting on glipizide if you have any of the following conditions:

Kidney problems, including kidney failure (renal failure)
Liver problems, including liver failure or cirrhosis
Adrenal insufficiency or adrenal fatigue
Pituitary gland problems
Narrowing or strictures in the digestive tract
Any allergies, including allergies to sulfa drugs, foods, dyes, or preservatives.

It is also important to inform your physician if you are:

Pregnant or thinking of becoming pregnant
Breastfeeding
Planning an upcoming surgery.

In addition, tell your healthcare provider about all of the medicines you take, including prescription and non-prescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements.

Specific glipizide warnings and precautions that need to be followed before starting on glipizide include the following:

Studies indicate that oral medications which lower blood sugar could increase the risk of death due to heart-related causes (such as a heart attack), compared to treatment with insulin or treatment with diet and exercise. While glipizide excluded from these studies, therefore, it is unclear if this risk is applicable to glipizide.

Glipizide could reduce blood sugar levels (hypoglycemia) in some people. This is more common in elderly people and in people with adrenal, pituitary, liver, or kidney problems -- as well as during fasting before surgery and after prolonged exercise. Symptoms of low blood sugar may include irritability, trembling, cold sweats, or blurry vision, among other things.

If you are allergic to sulfonamides ("sulfa" medications), it is likely that you could be allergic to glipizide also, however, most people with sulfa allergies can take glipizide without problems. To be safe, it is important to inform your physician if you are allergic to sulfa.

The outer shell of the glipizide extended release tablets (not regular glipizide tablets) do not dissolve and can cause obstructions in people with a narrowing or stricture of the digestive tract, including esophageal strictures. If you have a narrowing or stricture, it is advsiable talk with your healthcare provider before taking extended release glipizide.

Because the outer shells of the extended release glipizide tablets do not dissolve, you may notice the shells in your stool. This is normal and does not decrease the effectiveness of extended release glipizide.

Extended release glipizide needs time to be released into your digestive tract. Therefore, if you have problems that cause medications to move too quickly through the digestive tract (such as diarrhea), you may not absorb the full amount of extended release glipizide.

The liver and kidneys help to clear glipizide from the body. Lower glipizide dosages are typically used in people with liver or kidney problems as a result.

Fever, infections, injury, or surgery can temporarily increase your blood sugar, even in people with well-controlled diabetes. Glipizide may not be enough to treat your diabetes at these times, and the use of insulin may be required. Contact your healthcare provider if you have a fever, infection, injury, or will be having surgery.

Over time, glipizide may become less effective at controlling blood sugar levels. This may be due to the diabetes becoming worse or the body not responding as well to the glipizide. In these cases, glipizide may need to be combined with another oral diabetes drug or insulin. Your healthcare provider may also recommend switching to another diabetes medication.

Sulfonylurea medicines, such as glipizide, have been reported to increase sensitivity to the sun. Therefore, when going outdoors, try wearing long sleeves, pants, and a hat. Any exposed skin should be covered with sunscreen that is at least SPF 15.

Glipizide is considered pregnancy Category C medication. This means that it may not be safe for use during pregnancy. Talk to your physician before using glipizide if you are pregnant or planning on becoming pregnant.

It is not known if glipizide passes through breast milk. Therefore, if you are breastfeeding or plan to start breastfeeding, be sure you consult your physician prior to starting on glipizide.