Side Effects Of Gliclazide

NHS medicines information on side effects of gliclazide and what you can do to cope.

Like all medicines, gliclazide can cause side effects, although not everyone gets them.

Side effects can be less likely if you take gliclazide tablets with a meal.

Common side effects

There are things you can do to help cope with these common side effects of gliclazide:

Speak to a doctor or pharmacist if the advice on how to cope does not help and a side effect is still bothering you or does not go away.

Low blood sugar

Gliclazide can sometimes cause your blood sugar to go too low. The name for this is hypoglycaemia, or a "hypo".

Early warning signs of low blood sugar include:

• feeling hungry
• trembling or shaking
• sweating
• confusion
• difficulty concentrating

It's also possible for your blood sugar to go too low while you're asleep. If this happens, it can make you feel sweaty, tired and confused when you wake up.

Low blood sugar may happen if you:

• take too much gliclazide
• eat meals irregularly or skip meals
• are fasting
• do not eat a healthy diet and are not getting enough nutrients
• change what you eat
• exercise too much without eating enough carbohydrates
• drink alcohol, especially after skipping a meal
• have a hormone disorder, such as an underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism)
• have kidney or liver problems

Preventing a hypo

To prevent having a hypo, it's important to have regular meals, including breakfast. Never miss or delay a meal.

If you're planning to exercise more than usual, make sure you eat carbohydrates like bread, pasta or cereals before, during or afterwards.

Always carry a fast-acting carbohydrate with you. If you think you have low blood sugar, try having something to eat or drink that quickly gets sugar into your bloodstream. This could be something like sugar, fruit juice, jelly babies or glucose or dextrose tablets. Artificial sweeteners will not help.

This type of sugar will not last long in your blood, so you may also need to eat a starchy carbohydrate, like a sandwich or a biscuit.

Call your doctor or contact 111 if taking in sugar does not help or the hypo symptoms come back.

Make sure your friends and family know about your diabetes and the symptoms of low blood sugar levels so they can recognise a hypo if it happens.

Serious side effects

Serious side effects are rare.

Call a doctor or call 111 straight away if:

• the whites of your eyes turn yellow, or your skin turns yellow although this may be less obvious on black or brown skin - these can be signs of a liver problem
• you're paler than usual, you get prolonged bleeding, bruising, sore throat and high temperature - these can be signs of a blood disorder

Your eyesight may be affected for a short time, especially at the start of treatment, because of changes in your blood sugar levels. Do not drive, cycle or use tools or machinery until this gets better. If you are concerned and it does not go away, talk to your doctor.

Serious allergic reaction

It's possible to have a serious allergic reaction (anaphylaxis) to gliclazide.

Other side effects

These are not all the side effects of gliclazide. For a full list, see the leaflet inside your medicine's packet.

If you want to find out more about this particular topic you can visit the Original article on the NHS website. If you are worried by any aspect of your health make sure you go and see your doctor or book an appointment at your local clinic.