Linagliptin
About Linagliptin
Linagliptin is used to treat Type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes is a common condition that causes the level of glucose (sugar) in the blood to become too high. It's a lifelong condition that can affect your everyday life. You may need to adjust your diet, take medication, and undergo regular checkups to lead a normal life.
Linagliptin contains linagliptin, which works by blocking the action of DPP-4, an enzyme that destroys the hormone incretin (the enzyme which helps produce more insulin only when required and reduces the liver's blood sugar level when not needed).
Not everyone who is taking Linagliptin will get these side effects. The most common side effects of Linagliptin are low blood glucose levels, nasopharyngitis (infection of nose and throat with the common cold), and headache. Most of these side effects may not require medical attention and resolve gradually over time. However, if the side effects persist or worsen, consult the doctor.
Take this medication by mouth with or without food as directed by your doctor, usually once daily in the morning. The dosage is based on your medical condition and response to treatment. To help you remember, take it at the same time each day. Tell your doctor if your condition does not improve or worsens (if your blood sugar is too high or too low).
Do not take Linagliptin if you are allergic to any of its components. Linagliptin should not be stopped even if you feel better, without consulting your doctor as your sugar level keeps changing. If you stop taking Linagliptin abruptly, it may increase your sugar levels which could further increase the risk of eyesight loss, kidney damage, and nerve damage. Linagliptin should not be taken if you have type 1 diabetes mellitus or severe kidney or liver disease. Consult the doctor if you are pregnant or breastfeeding.
It is used with a proper diet and exercise program to control high blood sugar in people with type 2 diabetes. Controlling high blood sugar helps prevent kidney damage, blindness, nerve problems, limb loss, and sexual dysfunction. Proper control of diabetes may also lessen your risk of a heart attack or stroke.
Uses of Linagliptin
• Managing Type 2 Diabetes: Linagliptin can be used as part of a comprehensive diabetes management plan for individuals with type 2 diabetes, helping to lower blood sugar levels.
• Improving Insulin Sensitivity: Linagliptin may help enhance the body's response to insulin, assisting in better glucose metabolism for those with insulin resistance.
• Postprandial Blood Sugar Control: Linagliptin can be effective in managing blood sugar spikes that occur after eating, helping to maintain more stable blood glucose levels throughout the day.
Medicinal Benefits
- Linagliptin is prescribed for type 2 diabetes when diet and exercise alone cannot control blood sugar levels.
- Linagliptin should not be used in patients with type 1 diabetes and for the treatment of diabetic ketoacidosis.
- Linagliptin plays a vital role in controlling blood sugar levels and prevents serious complications of diabetes like eyesight loss, kidney, nerve damage, diabetic foot ulcer and delayed wound healing.
Directions for Use
• Linagliptin can be taken with or without food. • It is usually taken once daily at the same time each day or as prescribed by your doctor. • Swallow Linagliptin as a whole with a glass of water. • Do not crush, chew, or break it.
Storage
Side Effects of Linagliptin
- Low blood glucose levels
- Infection of the nose and throat with a common cold
- Headache
Drug Warnings
Linagliptin should not be taken if you are allergic to Linagliptin or any of its ingredients. Prolonged intake of Linagliptin may cause acute pancreatitis (swollen pancreas) and critical kidney problems. Linagliptin should not be stopped even if you feel better, without consulting your doctor as your sugar level keeps changing. Severe allergic reactions might occur in some patients taking Linagliptin, like anaphylaxis, angioedema (swelling under the skin), and exfoliative skin conditions, including Stevens-Johnson syndrome. Please inform your doctor if you have a history of heart disease. Linagliptin should not be taken if you have type 1 diabetes mellitus or severe kidney or liver disease.
Patients taking digoxin (a heart medicine) with Linagliptin should be closely monitored, as severe drug interactions have been observed. Linagliptin should not be used in patients with type 1 diabetes and for the treatment of diabetic ketoacidosis. Inform your doctor if you are pregnant or breastfeeding before taking Linagliptin. It may be harder to control your blood sugar when your body is stressed (such as when you have a fever, infection, injury, or surgery). Linagliptin is not recommended for use in children below 18 years of age.
Store Linagliptin at room temperature. You are advised not to chew, crush or break the medicine. Keep the medicine out of reach of children. Do not take more than the recommended dose of medicine, as it can cause undesirable effects. It is always important to check for the expiry of the medicine. Discard the medicine if it reaches the expiry date. Be alert for signs of low blood sugar (hypoglycemia), such as sweating, dizziness, dry mouth, dry skin, fast heartbeat, shivering, intense thirst, or frequent urination. If you experience any of these symptoms, take honey or sugar candies right away.
Drug Interactions
Drug-Drug Interactions: Linagliptin interacts with heart condition drugs (digoxin), diuretic (furosemide), steroids (budesonide), antibiotic (rifampin), anti-epileptic drugs (phenytoin, topiramate, lamotrigine), heart-related chest medicine (ranolazine), Beta-blocker medications ( metoprolol, propranolol, glaucoma eye drops such as timolol) insulin, and other antidiabetic medicines.
Drug-Food Interactions: Intake of excessive alcoholic beverages may increase the chance of a life-threatening condition known as Lactic Acidosis. So, avoid intake of alcoholic beverages with Linagliptin. Also, inform your doctor if you are taking St. John's wort (a natural remedy for depression).
Drug-Disease Interactions: Linagliptin may interact if taken in heart problems, high triglycerides (a type of fat in the blood), pancreatitis, gallstones, alcoholism, and kidney problem.
Drug-Drug Interactions Checker List:
Safety Advice
Alcohol
unsafeAlcohol should not be consumed along with Linagliptin as it is known to interact and lead to unpleasant side effects.
Pregnancy
consult your doctorLinagliptin is a category B pregnancy medication. So, its safety in pregnant women is not established. So, it should be taken only if prescribed by a doctor.
Breast Feeding
consult your doctorIt is not known whether Linagliptin passes through the breast milk or not. So, it should be taken only if prescribed by a doctor.
Driving
cautionLinagliptin has no influence on the ability to drive and use machines. However, dizziness and drowsiness have been reported, which may affect your ability to drive or use machines.
Liver
consult your doctorIf u have or had a history or evidence of any liver-related diseases, please consult the doctor before taking medicine.
Kidney
consult your doctorIf u have or had a history or evidence of any kidney-related diseases, please consult the doctor before taking medicine.
Children
unsafeLinagliptin is not recommended for children below the age of 18 years.
Habit Forming
Diet & Lifestyle Advise
- Fill your half plate with starchy veggies, a quarter with proteins, and a quarter with whole grain.
- Eat at regular intervals. Do not take a long gap between a meal or snack.
- Monitor your blood sugar level regularly, especially when there are lots of fluctuations.
- Invest at least 150 min of moderate-intensity physical activity or one hour and 15 minutes of high-intensity exercise every week.
- Lose weight gradually to achieve a healthy body mass index (18.5 to 24.9).
- Replace refined carbohydrates containing whole-grain foods and increase the intake of fruits and veggies and other fiber-enriched foods.
- Reduce intake of saturated fat (or hidden fats) in food like chips, crisps, pastries, biscuits, and samosas. Choose omega 3 fatty acid-containing oils for daily cooking. You can use palm oil, mustard oil, groundnut oil, rice bran oil and safflower oil for frying.
- Do not take stress as it may elevate your blood sugar level. You can adopt stress management techniques like mindfulness to control stress-related blood sugar changes.
- Opt for low-fat dairy products (low-fat yogurt, fat-free milk, and cheese, etc.).
- Keep your blood pressure as normal (140/90) as possible as it reduces the risk of cardiovascular diseases in diabetes patients.
Patients Concern
Disease/Condition Glossary
Diabetes (Type 2): It is a condition where the body cannot make sufficient insulin, or the insulin that it makes doesn't work properly or is utilized by our body. This can cause high blood sugar levels (hyperglycemia). Type 2 diabetes symptoms include increased thirst, frequent urination at night, slow wound healing, increased hunger, fatigue, and blurred vision. There may be weight gain in some cases, while in rare cases, weight loss may be observed. The complications of type 2 diabetes also include neuropathy (nerve problems), nephropathy (kidney problems), retinopathy (damaged retina of eyes or blindness), loss of limbs, sexual dysfunction, and an increase in the chance of heart attack or stroke.
FAQs
Linagliptin is used to treat type 2 diabetes in adults along with diet and lifestyle changes. It is used alone or in combination with other drugs to lower blood sugar levels.
Linagliptin contains Linagliptin, which belongs to the class of dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors used Linagliptin is prescribed for the condition of type 2 diabetes when diet and exercise alone cannot control their blood sugar levels. It works by blocking the action of DPP-4 (an enzyme that destroys the hormone ‘Incretin’). The enzyme ‘Incretins’ helps produce more insulin only when required and reduces the liver's blood sugar level when not needed. Linagliptin should not be used in patients with type 1 diabetes and for the treatment of diabetic ketoacidosis.
Type 2 diabetes is a common form of diabetes. The body cannot make a sufficient amount of insulin and the body's insulin does not function properly. The blood glucose level increases, and symptoms such as frequent urination, increased thirst, and increased hunger . Diabetes, if left untreated or not treated properly, can cause long-term complications like nerve damage, kidney damage, eye damage, foot problems, and fall under a higher risk of developing heart diseases.
Hypoglycemia refers to low blood sugar levels. Linagliptin can cause hypoglycemia. The symptoms of hypoglycemia include nausea, headache, irritability, hunger, sweating, dizziness. Hypoglycemia can occur if you miss or delay your food, drink alcohol, over-exercise or take other antidiabetic medicine along with this medicine. People with diabetes are advised to keep a quick sugar source like glucose tablets, honey or fruit juice.
Linagliptin should be avoided in patients who are allergic to any of this medicine's components or excipients. It should be avoided in patients suffering from moderate to severe kidney disease and in patients with underlying metabolic acidosis, including diabetic ketoacidosis, consult your doctor for further advice.
No. Linagliptin is only prescribed to treat type 2 diabetes, also called 'non-insulin-dependent diabetes.'
In type 1 diabetes, cells in the pancreas that make insulin are destroyed, and the body is unable to make insulin. Insulin is a hormone that helps your body's cells use glucose for energy. The condition is usually diagnosed in children and young people, so it used to be called juvenile diabetes.
No, Linagliptin is not the same as metformin. Both are used to treat type-2 diabetes but their mechanism of action are different. Metformin improves insulin response and reduces liver sugar production. Whereas, Linagliptin blocks DPP-4, increasing insulin production and lowering liver sugar.
Linagliptin can be taken in the morning or in the evening once a day with or without food as advised by your doctor. It is best to take it at the same time every day to maintain consistency.
The most common side effects of Linagliptin in some individuals are hypoglycemia (low blood glucose levels), upper respiratory tract infection, nasopharyngitis (infection of nose and throat with common cold), and headache. Most of these side effects may not require medical attention and resolve gradually over time. However, if the side effects persist or worsen, consult the doctor.
Take Linagliptin once daily, with or without food, at any time. It's best to take it at the same time each day to maintain a consistent level of the medication in your body.
If you miss a dose, take it as soon as you remember. If it is almost time for the next dose, skip the missed dose. Do not double the dose.
Linagliptin is used with caution in patients with kidney impairment. Excessive use of Linagliptin may cause kidney problems.
Yes, Linagliptin is safe to take for a long time, as it is commonly prescribed for a long-term treatment for type 2 diabetes, helping to keep blood sugar levels stable and prevent complications.
Linagliptin is taken as a long-term treatment for type 2 diabetes, and you may need to take it for as long as you have type 2 diabetes, usually for several years or even lifelong. It's essential to follow your doctor's instructions and attend regular follow-up appointments to monitor your condition and adjust your treatment plan as needed.
Stopping Linagliptin abruptly can increase blood sugar levels, harming your health. If you're considering stopping Linagliptin, it's essential to consult your doctor first. They will assess your condition, discuss alternative treatment options, and help you make an informed decision to ensure your blood sugar levels remain controlled.
