Amaryl
Amaryl is glimepiride, a once-daily tablet for type 2 diabetes, sold here as 1mg, 2mg and 4mg tablets that help lower blood sugar when diet and exercise are not enough.
All strengths and pack prices
| Strength | Pack | Price | Per tablet |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1mg | 30 tablets | $27.90 | $0.93 |
| 1mg | 60 tablets | $51.00 | $0.85 |
| 1mg | 90 tablets | $71.10 | $0.79 |
| 1mg | 120 tablets | $90.00 | $0.75 |
| 1mg | 180 tablets | $126.00 | $0.70 |
| 1mg | 360 tablets | $248.40 | $0.69 |
| 2mg | 10 tablets | $14.50 | $1.45 |
| 2mg | 30 tablets | $39.90 | $1.33 |
| 2mg | 60 tablets | $74.40 | $1.24 |
| 2mg | 90 tablets | $104.40 | $1.16 |
| 2mg | 120 tablets | $129.60 | $1.08 |
| 2mg | 180 tablets | $189.00 | $1.05 |
| 2mg | 240 tablets | $247.20 | $1.03 |
| 2mg | 360 tablets | $367.20 | $1.02 |
| 4mg | 10 tablets | $18.80 | $1.88 |
| 4mg | 30 tablets | $49.80 | $1.66 |
| 4mg | 60 tablets | $97.20 | $1.62 |
| 4mg | 90 tablets | $144.00 | $1.60 |
| 4mg | 120 tablets | $189.60 | $1.58 |
| 4mg | 180 tablets | $275.40 | $1.53 |
- Category
- Diabetes Management
- Active ingredient
- Glimepiride
- Route
- Oral
- Form
- Tablet
- Strengths
- 1/2/4mg
You will receive a quality generic equivalent, depending on stock.
Shipped in a discreet, unmarked envelope.
Details
- Conditions
- Type 2 Diabetes mellitus
- Therapeutic Class
- Sulfonylurea
- Pharmacological Class
- Insulin Secretagogue
- Minor Side Effects
- Weight gain, Dizziness
- Moderate Side Effects
- Nausea, Headache
- Dosage Forms
- Tablet
- Administration Route
- Oral
- Originator
- Sanofi
- Onset Time
- 2–3 hours
- Duration
- 24 hours
- Storage Instructions
- Store in a cool, dry place.
- Drug Interactions
- NSAIDs, Beta-blockers, Fluoroquinolones
What you will receive
Amaryl is the originator brand name, made by Sanofi. We use it to identify the medicine; the pack you receive is a generic equivalent, not the original Amaryl.
- The same active ingredient (Glimepiride) at the same strength.
- The exact brand supplied depends on what is in stock when your order ships.
FAQ
Which Amaryl strengths and pack sizes can I order?
Amaryl comes as tablets in 1mg, 2mg and 4mg. Packs range from 30 up to 360 tablets for 1mg, 10 up to 360 for 2mg, and 10 up to 180 for 4mg. The pack contains generic glimepiride, not the original Amaryl. Prices are per tablet in Hong Kong dollars, and larger packs cost less per pack.
How is Amaryl packaged for delivery to Hong Kong?
Amaryl tablets arrive in plain, unbranded packaging with nothing on the outside about the contents. Tracked courier takes 5 to 9 business days with online tracking; standard airmail takes 14 to 21 business days, untracked. Parcels that do not arrive are sent again free.
What other names is glimepiride sold under?
Amaryl is a brand name of glimepiride, which is also sold as Solosa. Here, glimepiride can be bought online as generic Amaryl. These are generics, not the original brand.
Can I drink alcohol while taking Amaryl?
Yes, but alcohol lowers blood sugar on its own, and on top of glimepiride that makes a hypo more likely — especially if you drink without eating. The risk is highest over a long session, or when you go to bed soon after drinking. Food with alcohol keeps the drop smaller.
What should I do if I miss a dose of Amaryl?
Take it as soon as you remember, with a meal or snack if you can. If your next dose is already close, leave the missed one out rather than taking two together — a double dose can pull blood sugar down hard.
How does Amaryl differ from metformin?
Both lower blood sugar in type 2 diabetes, but they work in different ways. Metformin cuts the amount of glucose the liver releases and helps the body respond to its own insulin; glimepiride pushes the pancreas to release more insulin. Metformin rarely causes low blood sugar by itself, while a hypo is the main risk with glimepiride.
Does Amaryl cause weight gain?
It can. Weight gain is a recognised effect of the sulfonylurea class, and glimepiride is no exception — the extra insulin it releases encourages the body to store energy, and the change usually builds up gradually. Metformin, the other common first-choice tablet, does not have this effect.
Can I take Amaryl at night?
Amaryl is a morning tablet, taken with breakfast or the first substantial meal of the day, so its effect lines up with the food you eat. Taken at night with no meal afterwards, it is more likely to pull blood sugar down while you sleep.
About Amaryl
What Amaryl tablets are used for
Amaryl is the name these tablets are sold under, and the active ingredient is glimepiride — a sulfonylurea, one of the older families of oral diabetes medicines. It is used in type 2 diabetes alongside diet and exercise, when those alone no longer keep blood sugar in range. The tablets come in 1mg, 2mg and 4mg.
Glimepiride is not used in type 1 diabetes, where the pancreas makes no insulin, or in diabetic ketoacidosis — a dangerous build-up of acids in the blood that has to be treated with insulin. It is not used in pregnancy either.
How glimepiride lowers blood sugar
Insulin comes from beta cells in the pancreas. Glimepiride attaches to a receptor on those cells and closes a potassium channel in the cell wall; the cell fires and releases insulin it has already made. That insulin moves glucose out of the blood and into muscle and fat. Because the tablet pushes insulin out whether or not blood sugar is high, it can overshoot — which is why a hypo, low blood sugar, is the main risk with it.
Taking your tablets
One tablet a day, with breakfast or the first proper meal. Regular meals matter more with glimepiride than with most medicines: a dose followed by a skipped meal is the usual route to a hypo, and eating late or eating much less than usual has the same effect.
Side effects and interactions
A hypo can feel like sweating, trembling, hunger, a pounding heartbeat, dizziness or confusion. If it goes far enough it causes a seizure or unconsciousness, and that needs urgent treatment. Other effects include nausea, stomach discomfort, headache and weight gain. Rarely, glimepiride causes allergic skin reactions, blood cell changes such as unusual bruising or bleeding, or liver problems such as yellowing of the skin and eyes.
Other diabetes medicines and insulin strengthen glimepiride's effect, as do some salicylate painkillers, fluoroquinolone antibiotics and beta-blockers — beta-blockers can also mask the warning signs of a hypo. Thiazide diuretics and corticosteroids push blood sugar the other way. Alcohol lowers blood sugar too, so drinking makes a hypo more likely.
Storing Amaryl
Keep the tablets in their original blister or bottle, somewhere dry and out of the sun, and leave them in the packaging until it is time for a dose.
Sources
- Glimepiride: MedlinePlus Drug Information — National Library of Medicine
- Glimepiride 3 mg tablets - Summary of Product Characteristics (SmPC) - (emc) | 10744 — UK Electronic Medicines Compendium (EMC)