Medical Encyclopedia

Alcohol is known for its capacity to interfere with diabetes treatment as it usually masks the state of hypoglycemia thus aggravating it. The same danger is pertinent to the combination of Glucotrol XL with alcohol. You should necessarily remember that if you are on Glucotrol XL, alcohol consumption can deteriorate your physical state up to a hypoglycemic coma and further irreversible brain damage. The point is that alcohol can interact with glipizide, the main agent of Glucotrol XL, and may prolong the action of glipizide by delaying the absorption and elimination of this medication. This is why alcohol often becomes a reason for serious hypoglycemic episodes. Therefore, it is strongly recommended to limit alcohol consumption or altogether abstain from alcohol while taking Glucotrol XL because it can increase the risk of developing hypoglycemia. Besides, even small amounts of alcohol taken together with Glucotrol XL can cause allergic reactions, such as flushing in the face, the arms and the neck. Among other possible reactions - disulfiram-like reactions - are nausea, vomiting, dizziness and stomach pain.

When you begin to take any medicine, it is only natural for you to weigh the risks against the good it can bring, either yourself or with the help of your knowledgeable diabetes specialist. Since Glucotrol XL belongs to the group of sulfonylurea medicines, it shows signs of correlation with the following conditions which tend to inhibit the effect of this medicine.

The first condition that requires careful consideration and eventually leads to quitting Glucotrol XL is pregnancy. Pregnancy is a very delicate condition, when the amount of insulin you need changes irrespective of a medicine you take. It is known that it is much easier to control your blood sugar levels with the help of insulin injections rather than Glucotrol XL. Even if your doctor allows you to be on Glucotrol XL, it is important that the intake should be stopped a month before the estimated delivery date. Besides, sulfonylurea medicines are known to pass into breast milk. That is why in the period of breast feeding you will naturally be taken off Glucotrol XL and will most likely have to inject insulin.

Diabetic Retinal Angiopathy is one of the chronic complications of diabetes which manifests itself in the build-up of blood clots in the vessels (arteries, veins and capillaries) which leads to occlusion and blocking the flow of blood. Diabetic retinal angiopathy is an initial complication which later leads to proliferative diabetic retinopathy. And if glucose levels are uncontrolled for a long time, it can further lead to complete blindness. Diabetes sufferers usually develop microangiopathy with thickening of capillaries in the retina. Retinal damage brought about by diabetic retinal microangiopathy is known to be one of the clear indicators of impaired vision and, possibly, even a loss of vision.

Like almost all medicines used to treat diabetes type 2, Glucotrol XL is associated with a hypoglycemic effect which can be rather serious and thus can impair the condition of a diabetes sufferer, since any noticeably low blood sugar level will immediately be followed by the condition of hyperglycemia. And the more aggravated the state of hypoglycemia is the more serious the state of hyperglycemia will be. For that reason taking Glucotrol XL requires very careful monitoring your blood sugar levels to avoid both glucose spikes and crashes.

Glucotrol XL is a peroral hypoglycemic medicine of a sulfonylurea type with pancreatic and extra-pancreatic effects. The main agent of this medicine is glipizide, often used to treat diabetes type 2 along with diet, exercises and sometimes insulin therapy. It stimulates insulin secretion by decreasing the stimulation threshold of the pancreatic beta-cells by the blood glucose. Insulin helps turn the food you consume into energy. It is done by using glucose in the blood as quick energy. Sulfonylureas help insulin get into the cells where it exerts its effect of lowering blood sugar levels.