Tabletas de alogliptina para la diabetes

About alogliptin

Insulin is a hormone which is made naturally in your body. It helps to control the levels of sugar (glucose) 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 diabetes mellitus.

People with diabetes need treatment to control the amount of sugar in their blood. This is because good control of blood sugar 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 alogliptin are given alongside the changes in diet.

Alogliptin works in part by increasing the amount of insulin produced by your body, which then controls the level of sugar in your blood. 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 sugar in your blood.

For more information on how antidiabetic medicines like alogliptin work, see the separate leaflet called Treatments for type 2 diabetes.

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

• Si estás embarazada o amamantando.

• Si alguna vez has tenido un páncreas inflamado (pancreatitis).

• If you have heart failure, a condition where your heart is not working as well as it should.

• Si tienes algún problema con el funcionamiento de tu hígado, o si tienes algún problema con el funcionamiento de tus riñones.

• Si está tomando otros medicamentos. Esto incluye cualquier medicamento que esté tomando y que esté disponible para comprar sin receta, así como medicamentos herbales y complementarios.

• Si alguna vez has tenido una reacción alérgica a un medicamento.

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

• Take alogliptin tablets exactly as your doctor tells you to. Your dose will be on the label of the pack to remind you about what the doctor said to you.

• If you are taking a brand of alogliptin tablets called Vipidia®, the dose for most people is 25 mg (one tablet) daily. It will, however, be different to this if you have any problems with the way your kidneys work. You can generally take alogliptin at a time of day to suit you, but it is best to take your doses at the same time of day each day. Swallow the tablet with a drink of water - you can take it either with or without food.

• If you have been prescribed a combination tablet of alogliptin with metformin (Vipdomet® brand) you should take one tablet twice a day. Take the tablet after you have eaten a meal or with a snack, as this will help to reduce the chance of an upset stomach. There are two strengths of Vipdomet® tablet - both strengths contain the same amount of alogliptin but the amount of metformin differs. You will be prescribed the strength of tablet that fits with your current metformin dose.

• Si olvida tomar una dosis, tómela tan pronto como lo recuerde (a menos que esté cerca la hora de su próxima dosis, en cuyo caso omita la dosis olvidada). No tome dos dosis juntas para compensar una dosis olvidada.

• Es importante que mantengas tus citas regulares con el médico y la clínica. Esto es para que se pueda monitorear tu progreso. Necesitarás chequeos regulares con una clínica de ojos y una clínica de pies, así como con tu médico y la clínica de diabetes.

• Su médico puede recomendarle que se haga pruebas de azúcar (glucosa) en la sangre o en la orina regularmente para verificar que su diabetes esté controlada. Su médico o enfermera especializada en diabetes le mostrará cómo hacerlo.

• Si tu médico te ha dado consejos sobre cambios en tu dieta, dejar de fumar o hacer ejercicio regularmente, es importante que sigas los consejos que te han dado.

• No consuma alcohol, ya que puede afectar el control de su nivel de azúcar en la sangre. Consulte a su médico si necesita más consejos sobre esto.

• Si eres conductor, debes tener especial cuidado, ya que tu capacidad de concentración puede verse afectada si tu diabetes no está bien controlada. Se te puede aconsejar que verifiques tus niveles de azúcar en sangre antes de viajar y que lleves un refrigerio contigo en viajes largos.

• Consulte con su médico antes de comenzar cualquier nuevo ejercicio físico, ya que esto afectará sus niveles de azúcar en la sangre y es posible que necesite controlar sus niveles de sangre u orina con más regularidad.

• Make sure you know what it feels like if your blood sugar is low. This is known as hypoglycaemia, or a 'hypo'. Although alogliptin 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 alogliptin.

• If you become unusually thirsty, pass urine more frequently than normal, 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 alogliptin 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 alogliptin. 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 experimenta cualquier otro síntoma que crea que puede deberse a las tabletas, hable con su médico o farmacéutico para obtener más consejos.

• Mantenga todos los medicamentos fuera del alcance y la vista de los niños.

• Almacenar en un lugar fresco y seco, lejos del calor y la luz directos.