Introduction

Ligazid 5 is a medicine used to treat type 2 diabetes mellitus. It is used together with a healthy diet and regular exercise to control blood sugar levels. This helps to prevent serious complications of diabetes like kidney damage and blindness. Ligazid 5 is normally prescribed when diet and exercise alone or other medicines do not prove sufficient to control your blood sugar level. Your doctor may prescribe it alone or along with other diabetes medicines. It can be taken with or without food. The dose will depend on your condition, and blood sugar levels. Therefore, you should use it as advised by your doctor. You should take it regularly at the same time each day to get the most benefit, and you should not stop unless your doctor recommends. This medicine is helping you to control your blood sugar levels and prevent serious complications in the future. It is important to stay on the diet and exercise program recommended by your doctor while taking this medicine. Your lifestyle plays a big part in controlling diabetes. The most common side effect of taking this medicine is headache. This is usually minor and improves with time. Low blood sugar level (hypoglycemia) is a possible side effect if you are also taking other diabetes medicines like insulin or sulphonylurea, so you need to know how to recognize and deal with it. It may also cause upper respiratory tract infections like sore throat, cough, and cold. Contact your doctor if the side effects worry you or if they do not go away. Before taking this medicine, let your doctor know if you have ever had kidney disease, heart or pancreas problems, or if you drink a lot of alcohol. Pregnant or breastfeeding women should also consult their doctor before taking it. Some other medicines you are taking may interfere with this medicine's working. So, make sure your doctor knows about all the other medicines you are using. Limit your alcohol intake while taking this medicine because it can increase your risk of developing low blood sugar levels. You may need regular tests such as kidney function and blood glucose levels to check that the medicine is working properly.

Uses of Ligazid 5

• Type 2 diabetes mellitus

Side effects of Ligazid 5

• Hypoglycaemia (low blood sugar level) in combination with insulin or sulphonylurea
• Headache
• Nasopharyngitis (inflammation of the throat and nasal passages)
• Cough
• Allergic reaction

How to use Ligazid 5

Take this medicine in the dose and duration as advised by your doctor. Swallow it as a whole. Do not chew, crush or break it. Ligazid 5 may be taken with or without food, but it is better to take it at a fixed time.

How Ligazid 5 works

Ligazid 5 is an antidiabetic medication. It works by increasing the release of insulin from the pancreas and decreasing the hormones that raise blood sugar levels. This reduces the fasting and postmeal sugar levels.

Indication

Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Administration

May administer with or without food

Adult Dose

Oral Type 2 diabetes mellitus Adult: 5 mg once daily. Indicated for adults with diabetes mellitus type II along with diet and exercise to lower blood sugar; may be used as monotherapy or in combination with other common antidiabetic medications including metformin, sulfonylurea, pioglitazone, or insulin. Elderly: No dose adjustment is necessary based on age. Hepatic or renal impairment: No dosage adjustment required.

Child Dose

Safety and efficacy not established

Renal Dose

Renal Impairment: No dose adjustment.

Contraindication

Patients with a history of a hypersensitivity reaction to linagliptin, such as urticaria, angioedema, or bronchial hyperreactivity. Type 1 DM. Treatment of diabetic ketoacidosis.

Mode of Action

Dipeptidyl peptidase 4 (DPP-4) inhibitor; increases and prolongs incretin hormone activity which is inactivated by DPP-4 enzyme. Incretins regulate glucose homeostasis by increasing insulin synthesis and release from pancreatic beta cells and reducing glucagon secretion from pancreatic alpha cells .

Precaution

Concomitant use w/ sulphonylureas which are known to cause hypoglycemia; dose reduction of sulphonylureas may be considered. May affect ability to drive or operate machinery. Childn. Elderly >75 yr. Pregnancy & lactation. Lactation: Unknown whether distributed in breast milk; caution advised

Side Effect

1-10% Nasopharyngitis (4.3%),Hyperlipidemia (2.8%; with pioglitazone),Cough (2.4%; with metformin and sulfonylurea),Hypertriglyceridemia (2.4%; with sulfonylurea),Weight gain (2.3%; with pioglitazone), Hypoglycemia 7.6% overall incidence, 22.9% incidence compared with placebo plus metformin and a sulfonylurea Incidence similar to placebo with monotherapy or combined with metformin or pioglitazone

Interaction

Increased risk of hypoglycaemia when used w/ an insulin secretagogue (e.g. sulfonylurea) or insulin. Plasma concentration of linagliptin may be decreased by strong inducers of P-glycoprotein (e.g. rifampicin) and may be increased by strong P-glycoprotein inhibitors (e.g. ritonavir).