Sitagliptin 25 mg/ml oral solution
- Keep this leaflet. You may need to read it again.
- If you have any further questions, ask your doctor, pharmacist or nurse.
- This medicine has been prescribed for you only. Do not pass it on to others. It may harm them, even if their signs of illness are the same as yours.
- If you get any side effects, talk to your doctor, pharmacist or nurse. This includes any possible side effects not listed in this leaflet. See section 4.
1. What Sitagliptin is and what it is used for
2. What you need to know before you take Sitagliptin
3. How to take Sitagliptin
4. Possible side effects
5. How to store Sitagliptin
6. Contents of the pack and other information
The name of this medicine is Sitagliptin 25 mg/ml oral solution (called Sitagliptin throughout this leaflet). It contains the active substance sitagliptin which is a member of a class of medicines called DPP-4 inhibitors (dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors) that lowers blood sugar levels in adult patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.
This medicine helps to increase the levels of insulin produced after a meal and decreases the amount of sugar made by the body.
Your doctor has prescribed this medicine to help lower your blood sugar, which is too high because of your type 2 diabetes. This medicine can be used alone or in combination with certain other medicines (insulin, metformin, sulphonylureas, or glitazones) that lower blood sugar, which you may already be taking for your diabetes together with a food and exercise plan.
What is type 2 diabetes?
Type 2 diabetes is a condition in which your body does not make enough insulin, and the insulin that your body produces does not work as well as it should. Your body can also make too much sugar.
When this happens, sugar (glucose) builds up in the blood. This can lead to serious medical problems like heart disease, kidney disease, blindness, and amputation.
- if you are allergic to sitagliptin or any of the other ingredients of this medicine (listed in section 6).
Cases of inflammation of the pancreas (pancreatitis) have been reported in patients receiving Sitagliptin (see section 4).
If you encounter blistering of the skin it may be a sign for a condition called bullous pemphigoid.
Your doctor may ask you to stop Sitagliptin.
Tell your doctor if you have or have had:
- a disease of the pancreas (such as pancreatitis)
- gallstones, alcohol dependence or very high levels of triglycerides (a form of fat) in your blood. These medical conditions can increase your chance of getting pancreatitis (see section 4).
- type 1 diabetes
- diabetic ketoacidosis (a complication of diabetes with high blood sugar, rapid weight loss, nausea or vomiting)
- any past or present kidney problems.
- an allergic reaction to Sitagliptin (see section 4).
This medicine is unlikely to cause low blood sugar because it does not work when your blood sugar is low.
However, when this medicine is used in combination with a sulphonylurea medicine or with insulin, low blood sugar (hypoglycaemia) can occur.
Your doctor may reduce the dose of your sulphonylurea or insulin medicine.
Children and adolescents below 18 years should not use this medicine. It is not effective in children and adolescents between the ages of 10 and 17 years. It is not known if this medicine is safe and effective when used in children younger than 10 years.
Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking, have recently taken or might take any other medicines.
In particular, tell your doctor if you are taking digoxin (a medicine used to treat irregular heart beat and other heart problems). The level of digoxin in your blood may need to be checked if taking with Sitagliptin.
If you are pregnant or breast-feeding, think you may be pregnant or are planning to have a baby, ask your doctor or pharmacist for advice before taking this medicine.
You should not take this medicine during pregnancy.
It is not known if this medicine passes into breast milk. You should not take this medicine if you are breast-feeding or plan to breast-feed.
This medicine has no or negligible influence on the ability to drive and use machines. However, dizziness and drowsiness have been reported, which may affect your ability to drive or use machines.
Taking this medicine in combination with medicines called sulphonylureas or with insulin can cause hypoglycaemia, which may affect your ability to drive and use machines or work without safe foothold.
Excipients with known effect:
Sodium methyl parahydroxybenzoate (E219): May cause allergic reactions (possibly delayed).
Forest fruits flavour containing benzyl alcohol (E1519): may cause allergic reactions. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for advice if you are pregnant or breast-feeding or have a liver or kidney disease. This is because large amounts of benzyl alcohol can build-up in your body and may cause side effects (called “metabolic acidosis”), ethyl alcohol (E1510); the small amount of alcohol on this medicine will not have any noticeable effects.
Sitagliptin contains less than 1 mmol sodium (23 mg) per 1 ml, that is to say essentially “sodium-free”.
Always take this medicine exactly as your doctor has told you. Check with your doctor or pharmacist if you are not sure.
The usual recommended dose is:
- 100 mg (4 ml of oral solution)
- once a day by mouth
If you have kidney problems, your doctor may prescribe lower doses (such as 25 mg (1 ml of oral solution) or 50 mg (2 ml of oral solution)).
You can take this medicine with or without food and drink.
Your doctor may prescribe this medicine alone or with certain other medicines that lower blood sugar.
Diet and exercise can help your body use its blood sugar better. It is important to stay on the diet and exercise recommended by your doctor while taking Sitagliptin.
Please use the oral syringe provided to deliver your specific dose – see instructions below. The syringe can be used to measure your dose by drawing the liquid to the correct mark on the syringe.
1. Shake the bottle well, making sure the cap is firmly on the bottle.
2. Remove the cap.
Note: Keep the cap nearby to close the bottle after each use.
3. Make sure that the plastic adapter is into the neck of the bottle. Note: The adapter must always stay in the bottle.
4. Take the syringe and check the plunger is fully down.
5. Keep the bottle upright and insert the oral syringe firmly into the plastic adapter.
6. Turn the whole bottle with the syringe upside down.
7. Slowly pull the plunger down fully so that the syringe fills with medicine. Push the plunger back up completely to expel any large air bubbles that may be trapped inside the oral syringe.
8. Then pull the plunger slowly back to the volume you need for your dose.
9. Turn the whole bottle with the syringe the right way up and take the syringe out of the bottle.
10. The dose of medicine can now be swallowed directly from the oral syringe. Please ensure that you are sitting upright, and the plunger must be pushed slowly to allow you to swallow the dose.
11. Replace the child resistant cap after use, leaving the adapter in place.
12. Cleaning: After use, dismantle the plunger and rinse both body and plunger with tap water and wipe with a dry, clean tissue or paper.
If you take more than the prescribed dosage of this medicine, contact your doctor immediately.
If you miss a dose, take it as soon as you remember. If you do not remember until it is time for your next dose, skip the missed dose and go back to your regular schedule. Do not take a double dose of this medicine.
Continue to take this medicine as long as your doctor prescribes it so you can continue to help control your blood sugar. You should not stop taking this medicine without talking to your doctor first.
If you have any further questions on the use of this medicine, ask your doctor or pharmacist.
Like all medicines, this medicine can cause side effects, although not everybody gets them.
STOP taking Sitagliptin and contact a doctor immediately if you notice any of the following serious side effects:
- Severe and persistent pain in the abdomen (stomach area) which might reach through to your back with or without nausea and vomiting, as these could be signs of an inflamed pancreas (pancreatitis).
If you have a serious allergic reaction (frequency not known), including rash, hives, blisters on the skin/peeling skin and swelling of the face, lips, tongue, and throat that may cause difficulty in breathing or swallowing, stop taking this medicine and call your doctor right away. Your doctor may prescribe a medicine to treat your allergic reaction and a different medicine for your diabetes.
Some patients have experienced the following side effects after adding sitagliptin to metformin:
Common (may affect up to 1 in 10 people): low blood sugar, nausea, flatulence, vomiting
Uncommon (may affect up to 1 in 100 people): stomach ache, diarrhoea, constipation, drowsiness
Some patients have experienced different types of stomach discomfort when starting the combination of sitagliptin and metformin together (frequency is common).
Some patients have experienced the following side effects while taking sitagliptin in combination with a sulphonyl urea and metformin:
Very common (may affect more than 1 in 10 people): low blood sugar
Common: constipation
Some patients have experienced the following side effects while taking sitagliptin and pioglitazone:
Common: flatulence, swelling of the hands or legs
Some patients have experienced the following side effects while taking sitagliptin in combination with pioglitazone and metformin:
Common: swelling of the hands or legs
Some patients have experienced the following side effects while taking sitagliptin in combination with insulin (with or without metformin):
Common: flu
Uncommon: dry mouth
Some patients have experienced the following side effects while taking sitagliptin alone in clinical studies, or during post-approval use alone and/ or with other diabetes medicines:
Common: low blood sugar, headache, upper respiratory infection, stuffy or runny nose and sore throat, osteoarthritis, arm or leg pain
Uncommon: dizziness, constipation, itching
Rare: reduced number of platelets
Frequency not known: kidney problems (sometimes requiring dialysis), vomiting, joint pain, muscle pain, back pain, interstitial lung disease, bullous pemphigoid (a type of skin blister)
If you get any side effects, talk to your doctor, pharmacist or nurse. This includes any possible side effects not listed in this leaflet. You can also report side effects directly via the Yellow Card Scheme at: www.mhra.gov.uk/yellowcard or search for MHRA Yellow Card in the Google Play or Apple App Store. By reporting side effects, you can help provide more information on the safety of this medicine.
Keep this medicine out of the sight and reach of children.
Do not use this medicine after the expiry date which is stated on the label and the carton after ‘EXP’. The expiry date refers to the last day of that month.
Once the bottle is opened use within 90 days.
Store in a refrigerator (2°C – 8°C).
Do not throw away medicines via wastewater or household waste. Ask your pharmacist how to throw away medicines you no longer use. These measures will help protect the environment.
- The active substance is sitagliptin. Each 1 ml of oral solution contains sitagliptin hydrochloride monohydrate, equivalent to 25mg sitagliptin.
- The other excipients are sodium methyl parahydroxybenzoate (E219), hydroxyethylcellulose (E1525), citric acid (E330), disodium edetate (E385), polysorbate 80 (E433), butyl hydroxy anisole (E320), sodium citrate (E331), purified water, polisucra 7477 containing sucralose (E955), acesulfame K (E950) and forest fruits flavour (consisting of maltodextrin (E1400), modified starch (E1400-E1500), lactic acid (E270), benzyl alcohol (E1519), ethyl alcohol (E1510), ethyl butyrate, frambinon crystal, propylenglycol (E1520)).
Sitagliptin 25 mg/ml oral solution is a slightly opalescent off-white oral solution with forest fruits odour.
The product is packaged in amber (Type III) glass bottle sealed with tamper evident, white child resistant cap with plug in carton folded box with one 5 ml oral syringe with 0.5 ml graduation.
Pack size: 100 ml
Zentiva Pharma UK Limited
12 New Fetter Lane
London
EC4A 1JP
United Kingdom
Labomed Pharmaceutical
Company SA
84
Ioannou Metaxa str. 19441 Koropi
Attica
Greece
This leaflet was last revised in November 2023
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