Details

Miglitol delays the digestion of carbohydrates (forms of sugar) in your body. This decreases the amount of sugar that passes into your blood after a meal and prevents periods of hyperglycaemia (high blood sugar). Miglitol helps control blood sugar in people with type 2 diabetes. You should not use miglitol if you have inflammatory bowel disease (ulcerative colitis, Crohn's), a blockage in your intestines, a chronic intestinal disorder that affects your digestion, or a stomach disorder that causes excess gas. To make sure miglitol is safe for you, tell your doctor if you have kidney disease. Do not give this medication to anyone under 18 years old without medical advice.

Typical Uses

Miglitol is used along with a proper diet and exercise program to control high blood sugar in people with type 2 diabetes. Controlling high blood sugar helps prevent kidney damage, blindness, nerve problems, loss of limbs, and sexual function problems. Proper control of diabetes may also lessen your risk of a heart attack or stroke. Miglitol works by slowing the absorption of carbohydrates from your diet, so that your blood sugar does not rise as much after a meal.

Side Effects

Low blood sugar (hypoglycaemia) can happen to everyone who has diabetes. Symptoms include headache, hunger, sweating, pale skin, irritability, dizziness, feeling shaky, or trouble concentrating. Common miglitol side effects may include stomach discomfort diarrhoea, gas or mild rash.

Drug Interactions

• Miglitol+gatifloxacin- Gatifloxacin can affect blood glucose levels and should not be used in patients with diabetes. Both hypoglycaemia (low blood glucose) and, less frequently, hyperglycaemia (high blood glucose) have been reported. Severe cases of hypoglycaemia during treatment with gatifloxacin have resulted in coma and even death.

Mechanism of action

Miglitol belongs to the class of anti-diabetic drugs called alpha-glucosidase inhibitor. It blocks an enzyme known as glucoside hydrolase and thus delays the glucose absorption from intestine thereby reducing the excessive rise in blood sugar level after a meal.

Pregnancy Category : B