GLUCOBAY ® Acarbose

GLUCOBAY ® is a drug based on acarbose

THERAPEUTIC GROUP: Oral anti-diabetics

IndicationsAction mechanismStudies and clinical effectiveness Usage and dosage instructionsWarnings Pregnancy and lactationInteractionsContraindicationsUndesirable effects

Indications GLUCOBAY ® Acarbosio

GLUCOBAY® is indicated in conjunction with an adequate diet in the treatment of type II diabetes mellitus, and in conjunction with insulin therapy in the treatment of type I diabetes.

Mechanism of action GLUCOBAY ® Acarbose

GLUCOBAY ® is a drug based on acarbose, a molecule of microbial origin with a tetrasaccharide structure, belonging to the alpha glucosidase inhibitor category.

Taken orally, the active ingredient of this drug is only minimally absorbed by the systemic circulation, thus concentrating on the intestinal level where it performs its biological action.

Here in fact it is able to selectively inhibit the aforementioned enzymes, normally involved in the digestion of food oligo, di and polysaccharides, thus slowing down the digestion of these sugars and making their absorption slower and more gradual.

It is therefore easy to understand how the therapeutic action of GLUCOBAY ® materializes exclusively in modulating post-prandial glycemic peaks, thus avoiding pathological hyperglycemia, which in any case contributes to the course of the diabetic disease and its complications.

Once its action is over, the active ingredients, metabolized by the intestinal flora, are eliminated through the faeces.

Studies carried out and clinical efficacy

1. EFFECTIVENESS OF ACARBOSIS ON INSULIN SENSITIVITY

It is known that fats, and in particular saturated fats and non-esterified fatty acids, can reduce insulin sensitivity, reducing the receptor's ability to activate. This study shows how acarbose intake can maintain a good glycemic profile, safeguarding insulin sensitivity (HOMA TEST) after an oral fat load.

2. ACARBOSE AND GLYCEMIC FLUCTUATIONS

Meal-induced glycemic fluctuations are particularly important in patients with type II diabetes, contributing significantly to the increase in glycated hemoglobin values and associated complications. The administration of acarbose has proved useful in reducing these fluctuations and the concentration of this marker, with the same dietary regime used.

3. EFFECTIVENESS OF ACARBOSIS THERAPY

Acarbose therapy in approximately 15, 000 patients with type II diabetes ensured a significant reduction in post-prandial glycaemia (from 244 to 172 mg / dl) and of hemoglobin glycated from 8.5% to 7.4% in just 11 weeks.

Method of use and dosage

GLUCOBAY ® acarbose 50 - 100 mg coated tablets: although reference dosages are present, especially useful in the initial phase of therapy, such as 50 mg three times a day, it is necessary to consult your doctor, who will establish the correct dosage based on glycemic levels, diet and lifestyle.

In the same way it is important to undergo frequent blood glucose monitoring, in order to best adapt pharmacological and dietetic therapy, avoiding nutritional and metabolic disorders.

Warnings GLUCOBAY ® Acarbosio

Intake of GLUCOBAY ® should be associated with monitoring of liver and kidney function in patients with insufficiency of these organs in order to prevent any side effects.

In order for the therapeutic protocol to be fully effective, it is necessary to combine this with a balanced and low-calorie diet in the case of overweight patients, accompanied by a general improvement in lifestyle.

Immediate discontinuation of therapy without first consulting your doctor could result in the appearance of post-prandial hyperglycemia.

It is important to consider instead that the intake of acarbose could reduce the need for other hypoglycemic agents, so it would be advisable to periodically carry out a blood glucose test and eventually correct the treatment plan used.

PREGNANCY AND BREASTFEEDING

The absence of studies related to the effects of acarbose on the health of the fetus and the infant, does not allow its use during the period of pregnancy and lactation.

For this reason, hyperglycemia in pregnancy must be treated with more effective and more characterized drugs such as insulin.

Interactions

The low systemic absorption of acarbose significantly reduces the risk of potentially dangerous interactions for the patient's health.

It is however necessary to remember, that diets rich in sugars, could be associated with annoying gastro-intestinal side effects, due to the excessive fermentation of these nutrients by the commensal flora following the failed absorption and intestinal accumulation of saccharides.

It is also necessary to remember that during therapies combined with other hypoglycemic agents, any glycemic declines cannot be effectively compensated by the administration of oral sucrose, given the delayed absorption induced by the drug.

Digestive enzymes, intestinal adsorbents and cholestyramine may alter the therapeutic efficacy of GLUCOBAY ®

Contraindications GLUCOBAY ® Acarbosio

GLUCOBAY ® is contraindicated in case of chronic enteropathies and alterations of digestion and absorption, celiac disease, intestinal obstructions or ulcerations and severe renal failure.

The drug is also contraindicated in case of hypersensitivity to the active ingredient or to one of its excipients and during the period of pregnancy and lactation.

Undesirable effects - Side effects

Clinical experimentation and post-marketing monitoring have highlighted the good safety and tolerability profile of acarbose, denouncing clinically little side effects and concentrated at the level of the gastro-intestinal tract.

Nausea, flatulence, diarrhea and abdominal pain were in fact the most documented adverse reactions, while liver diseases and allergic dermatological reactions were described only in rare cases.