Januvia

Generic name: Sitagliptin
Drug class: Dipeptidyl peptidase 4 inhibitors

Usage of Januvia

Januvia is an oral diabetes medicine that helps control blood sugar levels. It works by regulating the levels of insulin your body produces after eating.

Januvia is used together with diet and exercise to improve blood sugar control in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Januvia is not for treating type 1 diabetes.

Januvia side effects

Get emergency medical help if you have signs of an allergic Reaction to Januvia (hives, difficult breathing, swelling in your face or throat) or a severe skin reaction (fever, sore throat, burning in your eyes, skin pain, red or purple skin rash that spreads and causes blistering and peeling).

Stop taking Januvia and call your doctor right away if you have symptoms of pancreatitis: severe pain in your upper stomach spreading to your back, with or without vomiting.

Call your doctor at once if you have:

severe autoimmune reactionitching, blisters, breakdown of the outer layer of skin;

severe or ongoing pain in your joints;

little or no urination; or

symptoms of heart failureshortness of breath (even while lying down), swelling in your legs or feet, rapid weight gain.

Common Januvia side effects may include:

low blood sugar;

headache; or

runny or stuffy nose, sore throat.

This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

Before taking Januvia

You should not use Januvia if you are allergic to sitagliptin, or if you have diabetic ketoacidosis (call your doctor for treatment with insulin).

Tell your doctor if you have ever HAD:

kidney disease (or if you are on dialysis);

heart problems;

pancreatitis;

high triglycerides (a type of fat in the blood);

gallstones; or

alcoholism.

Follow your doctor's instructions about using Januvia if you are pregnant or you become pregnant. Blood sugar control is very important during pregnancy, and your dose needs may be different during each trimester. Having high blood sugar may cause complications in both the mother and the baby.

Your name may need to be listed on a Januvia pregnancy registry when you start using this medicine.

It may not be safe to breast-feed a baby while you are using this medicine. Ask your doctor about any risks.

Januvia is not approved for use by anyone younger than 18 years old.

Relate drugs

How to use Januvia

Usual Adult Dose for Diabetes Type 2:

Usual dose: 100 mg orally once a day Comments: When used in combination with an insulin secretagogue (e.g. sulfonylUrea) or insulin, a lower dose of the insulin secretagogue or insulin may be required to reduce the risk of hypoglycemia. Use: As an adjunct to diet and exercise to improve glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Warnings

You should not use Januvia if you are in a state of diabetic ketoacidosis (call your doctor for treatment with insulin).

Call your doctor if you have symptoms of heart failure--shortness of breath (even while lying down), swelling in your legs or feet, rapid weight gain.

Stop taking Januvia and call your doctor if you have symptoms of pancreatitis: severe pain in your upper stomach spreading to your back, with or without vomiting.

What other drugs will affect Januvia

Januvia may not work as well when you use other medicines at the SAMe time. Many other drugs can also affect blood sugar control.

You may be more likely to have low blood sugar if you also use insulin.

Other drugs may affect sitagliptin, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal products. Tell your doctor about all your current medicines and any medicine you start or stop using.

This includes prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal products. Not all possible interactions are listed here. Tell your doctor about all medicines you start or stop using.

Disclaimer

Every effort has been made to ensure that the information provided by Drugslib.com is accurate, up-to-date, and complete, but no guarantee is made to that effect. Drug information contained herein may be time sensitive. Drugslib.com information has been compiled for use by healthcare practitioners and consumers in the United States and therefore Drugslib.com does not warrant that uses outside of the United States are appropriate, unless specifically indicated otherwise. Drugslib.com's drug information does not endorse drugs, diagnose patients or recommend therapy. Drugslib.com's drug information is an informational resource designed to assist licensed healthcare practitioners in caring for their patients and/or to serve consumers viewing this service as a supplement to, and not a substitute for, the expertise, skill, knowledge and judgment of healthcare practitioners.

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