Linagliptin tablets for diabetes

About linagliptin

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 (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 linagliptin are given alongside the changes in diet.

Linagliptin 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 linagliptin work, see the separate leaflet called Type 2 diabetes treatment.

Before taking linagliptin tablets

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 linagliptin it is important that your doctor knows:

• Si está embarazada o en periodo de lactancia.

• Si tiene algún problema con el funcionamiento de sus riñones.

• Si está tomando otros medicamentos. Esto incluye cualquier medicamento que esté tomando y que pueda adquirirse sin receta, así como medicamentos a base de plantas y complementarios.

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

How to take linagliptin tablets

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

• Take linagliptin 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 linagliptin tablets called Trajenta®, the dose is 5 mg (one tablet) daily. 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 these tablets either with or without food.

• If you have been prescribed a combination tablet of linagliptin with metformin (Jentadueto® 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 Jentadueto® tablet - both strengths contain the same amount of linagliptin 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 en cuanto se acuerde (a menos que sea casi la hora de la siguiente dosis, en cuyo caso omita la dosis olvidada). No tome dos dosis juntas para compensar la dosis olvidada.

Aproveche al máximo su tratamiento

• Es importante que acuda regularmente a las citas médicas y clínicas. Así podremos controlar su evolución. Necesitará revisiones periódicas en una clínica oftalmológica y podológica, así como con su médico y la clínica de diabetes.

• Su médico puede recomendarle que se haga análisis de azúcar (glucosa) en sangre u orina con regularidad para comprobar que su diabetes está controlada. Su médico o enfermera especializada en diabetes le enseñarán cómo hacerlo.

• Si su médico le ha aconsejado hacer cambios en la dieta, dejar de fumar o hacer ejercicio con regularidad, es importante que siga sus consejos.

• No beba alcohol, ya que puede afectar al control de su azúcar en sangre. Consulte a su médico si necesita más información al respecto.

• Si es usted conductor, debe tener especial cuidado, ya que su capacidad de concentración puede verse afectada si su diabetes no está bien controlada. Es posible que le aconsejen que compruebe sus niveles de azúcar en sangre antes de viajar y que lleve un tentempié en los viajes largos.

• Consulte a su médico antes de realizar cualquier ejercicio físico nuevo, ya que tendrá un efecto sobre sus niveles de azúcar en sangre y es posible que deba comprobar sus niveles en sangre u orina con mayor regularidad.

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

• Si tiene una sed inusual, orina con más frecuencia de lo normal y se siente muy cansado, debe comunicárselo a su médico. Estos son signos de que tiene demasiada azúcar en la sangre y puede ser necesario ajustar el tratamiento.

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

Can linagliptin cause problems?

Along with their useful effects, most medicines can cause unwanted side-effects although not everyone experiences them. The table below contains some of the ones associated with linagliptin. 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 los comprimidos, hable con su médico o farmacéutico para que le aconsejen.

How to store linagliptin tablets

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

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

Información importante sobre todos los medicamentos