Common side effects include nausea and heartburn. Serious side effects may include angioedema and low blood sugar. It is generally not recommended during pregnancy but can be used during breastfeeding. It is in the sulfonylureas class of medications and works by increasing the release of insulin from the pancreas.
Glibenclamide was discovered in 1969 and approved for medical use in the United States in 1984. It is available as a generic medication. In 2021, it was the 214th most commonly prescribed medication in the United States, with more than 2million prescriptions.
Medical uses
Glibenclamide is used to lower the blood sugar level in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus, which is not controlled by diet and exercise alone.
Frequently reported side effects include: nausea, heartburn, weight gain, and bloating. The medication is also a major cause of medication-induced hypoglycemia. The risk is greater than with other sulfonylureas.
Contraindications
Glibenclamide may be not recommended in those with G6PD deficiency, as it may cause acute hemolysis.
This results in an increase in intracellular calcium in the pancreatic beta cell and subsequent stimulation of insulin release.
After a stroke, the blood–brain barrier is broken and glibenclamide can reach the central nervous system. Glibenclamide has been shown to bind more efficiently to the ischemic hemisphere. Moreover, under ischemic conditions SUR1, the regulatory subunit of the KATP- and the NCCa-ATP-channels, is expressed in neurons, astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, endothelial cells and by reactive microglia.
According to the research, this and other sulphonylurea drugs also have extra hepatic effects. It works by inhibiting the enzyme Carnityl Acyl Transferase I (CAT-I) indirectly, which is present in the mitochondria. This prevents the transport of long chain fatty acids into the mitochondria for beta-oxidation. This prevents hyperglycemia for which it is prescribed.
Glibenclamide is available as a generic medication, is manufactured by many pharmaceutical companies and is sold under many brand names including Gliben-J, Daonil, Diabeta, Euglucon, Gilemal, Glidanil, Glybovin, Glynase, Maninil, Micronase and Semi-Daonil. It is also available in a fixed-dose combination drug with metformin that is sold under various trade names, e.g. Bagomet Plus, Benimet, Glibomet, Gluconorm, Glucored, Glucovance, Metglib and many others.
↑Chen S, Ogawa A, Ohneda M, Unger RH, Foster DW, McGarry JD (July 1994). "More direct evidence for a malonyl-CoA-carnitine palmitoyltransferase I interaction as a key event in pancreatic beta-cell signaling". Diabetes. 43 (7): 878–883. doi:10.2337/diab.43.7.878. PMID8013751. S2CID25251669.
↑Lehtihet M, Welsh N, Berggren PO, Cook GA, Sjoholm A (August 2003). "Glibenclamide inhibits islet carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1 activity, leading to PKC-dependent insulin exocytosis". American Journal of Physiology. Endocrinology and Metabolism. 285 (2): E438–E446. doi:10.1152/ajpendo.00057.2003. PMID12684219. S2CID175394.