Sitagliptin for diabetes

About sitagliptin

Insulin is a hormone which is made naturally in your body, in the pancreas. It helps to control the levels of sugar in your blood. If your body does not make enough insulin, or if it does not use the insulin it makes effectively, this results in the condition called diabète (diabète sucré).

People with diabète need treatment to control the amount of sugar (glucose) in their blood. This is because good control of blood glucose levels reduces the risk of complications later on. Some people can control the sugar in their blood by making changes to the food they eat but, for other people, medicines like sitagliptin are given alongside the changes in diet.

Sitagliptin works in part by increasing the amount of insulin produced by your body. It also reduces the amount of a substance called glucagon being produced by your pancreas. Glucagon causes your liver to produce more sugar, so by reducing the amount of glucagon in your body, this also helps to reduce the levels of glucose in your blood.

Some medicines are not suitable for people with certain conditions, and sometimes a medicine may only be used if extra care is taken. For these reasons, before you start taking sitagliptin it is important that your doctor knows:

• Si vous êtes enceinte, essayez d'avoir un bébé ou allaitez.

• Si vous avez des problèmes avec le fonctionnement de vos reins.

• Si vous prenez d'autres médicaments. Cela inclut tous les médicaments que vous prenez et qui sont disponibles à l'achat sans ordonnance, ainsi que les médicaments à base de plantes et les médecines complémentaires.

• Si vous avez déjà eu une réaction allergique à un médicament.

• Before you start the treatment, read the manufacturer's printed information leaflet from inside the pack. It will give you more information about sitagliptin tablets and will provide you with a full list of the side-effects which you may experience from taking them.

• Take sitagliptin tablets exactly as your doctor tells you to. The usual dose is one 100 mg tablet a day. (You may be prescribed a lower strength of tablet if you have a problem with the way your kidneys work.) You can generally take the tablet at a time of day to suit you, but it is best to take your doses at the same time of day each day. You can take sitagliptin before or after a meal.

• If you have been prescribed a combination tablet of sitagliptin with metformin (brand Janumet®) you should take one tablet twice a day, after meals.

• Si vous oubliez de prendre une dose, prenez-la dès que vous vous en souvenez (sauf s'il est presque l'heure de votre prochaine dose, auquel cas laissez de côté la dose oubliée). Ne prenez pas deux doses ensemble pour compenser une dose oubliée.
  

• It is important that you keep your regular doctor's and clinic appointments. This is so your progress can be monitored. You will need regular check-ups with an eye clinic and a foot clinic as well as with your doctor and diabetes clinic.

• Your doctor may recommend that you test for sugar in your blood or urine regularly to check that your diabetes is being controlled. Your doctor or diabetes nurse will show you how to do this.

• Ne buvez pas d'alcool, car cela peut affecter le contrôle de votre glycémie. Demandez conseil à votre médecin si vous avez besoin de plus d'informations à ce sujet.

• Si vous êtes conducteur, vous devez faire particulièrement attention, car votre capacité de concentration peut être affectée si votre diabète n'est pas bien contrôlé. Il peut vous être conseillé de vérifier votre glycémie avant de voyager et d'avoir une collation avec vous lors de longs trajets.

• Si votre médecin vous a conseillé de modifier votre régime alimentaire, d'arrêter de fumer ou de faire de l'exercice régulièrement, il est important de suivre les conseils qui vous ont été donnés.

• Consultez votre médecin avant de commencer tout nouvel exercice physique, car cela aura un effet sur votre taux de sucre dans le sang et vous devrez peut-être vérifier vos niveaux de sang ou d'urine plus régulièrement.

• Make sure you know what it feels like if your blood sugar is low. This is known as hypoglycaemia, or a 'hypo'. Although sitagliptin is unlikely to cause low blood sugar, other medicines that you are taking for diabetes alongside it may. The first signs of hypoglycaemia are feeling shaky or anxious, sweating, looking pale, feeling hungry, having a feeling that your heart is pounding (palpitations), and feeling dizzy.

• If you are due to have an operation or dental treatment, you should tell the person carrying out the treatment that you have diabetes and that you are taking sitagliptin.

• If you get unusually thirsty, pass urine more frequently, and feel very tired, you should let your doctor know. These are signs that there is too much sugar in your blood and your treatment may need adjusting.

• Treatment for diabetes is usually lifelong. Continue to take sitagliptin tablets unless you are advised otherwise by your doctor.

Along with their useful effects, most medicines can cause unwanted side-effects although not everyone experiences them. The table below contains some of the most common ones associated with sitagliptin. You will find a full list in the manufacturer's information leaflet supplied with your medicine. The unwanted effects often improve as your body adjusts to the new medicine, but speak with your doctor or pharmacist if any of the following continue or become troublesome.

Si vous ressentez d'autres symptômes que vous pensez être dus aux comprimés, parlez-en à votre médecin ou à votre pharmacien pour obtenir des conseils supplémentaires.

• Gardez tous les médicaments hors de la portée et de la vue des enfants.

• Conserver dans un endroit frais et sec, à l'abri de la chaleur et de la lumière directes.