Glipizide: uses, dosing, side effects & brands
Glipizide is a sulfonylurea sold in the U.S. under 3 brand and generic names, for type 2 diabetes mellitus. Below: what the FDA label says, every product that contains it, what the pills look like, and its recall record.
Key facts
- Drug class
- Sulfonylurea
- Treats (across its forms)
- Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus
- Available as
- Tablet · Tablet, extended release
- Sold as
- 3 products — Glipizide, Glucotrol and Glucotrol XL
- Prescription?
- Prescription only
- Generic available?
- Yes
- Half-life
- about 2 to 4 hours
- What the pharmacy pays
- about $1 for a 30-count supply — not your price
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How glipizide is dosed
From the FDA label for Glipizide (application ANDA075795). Other glipizide products — different forms, different strengths — are dosed differently. Follow the label for the one you were prescribed.
There is no fixed dosage regimen for the management of diabetes mellitus with glipizide or any other hypoglycemic agent. In addition to the usual monitoring of urinary glucose, the patient's blood glucose must also be monitored periodically to determine the minimum effective dose for the patient; to detect primary failure, i.e., inadequate lowering of blood glucose at the maximum recommended dose of medication; and to detect secondary failure, i.e., loss of an adequate blood-glucose-lowering response after an initial period of effectiveness. Glycosylated hemoglobin levels may also be of value in monitoring the patient's response to therapy. Short-term administration of glipizide may be sufficient during periods of transient loss of control in patients usually controlled well on diet. In general, glipizide tablets should be given approximately 30 minutes before a meal to achieve the greatest reduction in postprandial hyperglycemia. Initial Dose The recommended starting dose is 5 mg, given before breakfast. Geriatric patients or those with liver disease may be started on 2.5 mg. Titration Dosage adjustments should ordinarily be in increments of 2.5 to 5 mg, as determined by blood glucose response. At least several days should elapse between titration steps. If response to a single dose is not satisfactory, dividing that dose may prove effective. The maximum recommended once…
Glipizide side effects
In U.S. and foreign controlled studies, the frequency of serious adverse reactions reported was very low. Of 702 patients, 11.8% reported adverse reactions and in only 1.5% was glipizide discontinued. Hypoglycemia See PRECAUTIONS and OVERDOSAGE sections. Gastrointestinal Gastrointestinal disturbances are the most common reactions. Gastrointestinal complaints were reported with the following approximate incidence: nausea and diarrhea, one in seventy; constipation and gastralgia, one in one hundred. They appear to be dose-related and may disappear on division or reduction of dosage. Cholestatic jaundice may occur rarely with sulfonylureas: glipizide should be discontinued if this occurs. Dermatologic Allergic skin reactions including erythema, morbilliform or maculopapular eruptions, urticaria, pruritus, and eczema have been reported in about one in seventy patients. These may be transient and may disappear despite continued use of glipizide; if skin reactions persist, the drug should be discontinued. Porphyria cutanea tarda and photosensitivity reactions have been reported with sulfonylureas. Hematologic Leukopenia, agranulocytosis, thrombocytopenia, hemolytic anemia (see PRECAUTIONS ), aplastic anemia, and pancytopenia have been reported with sulfonylureas. Metabolic Hepatic porphyria and disulfiram-like reactions have been reported with sulfonylureas. In the mouse, glipizide…
Who shouldn’t take glipizide
Glipizide is contraindicated in patients with: 1. Known hypersensitivity to the drug. 2. Type 1 diabetes mellitus, diabetic ketoacidosis, with or without coma. This condition should be treated with insulin.
Glipizide drug interactions
The hypoglycemic action of sulfonylureas may be potentiated by certain drugs including nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents, some azoles, and other drugs that are highly protein bound, salicylates, sulfonamides, chloramphenicol, probenecid, coumarins, monoamine oxidase inhibitors, quinolones and beta adrenergic blocking agents. When such drugs are administered to a patient receiving glipizide, the patient should be observed closely for hypoglycemia. When such drugs are withdrawn from a patient receiving glipizide, the patient should be observed closely for loss of control. In vitro binding studies with human serum proteins indicate that glipizide binds differently than tolbutamide and does not interact with salicylate or dicumarol. However, caution must be exercised in extrapolating these findings to the clinical situation and in the use of glipizide with these drugs. Certain drugs tend to produce hyperglycemia and may lead to loss of control. These drugs include the thiazides and other diuretics, corticosteroids, phenothiazines, thyroid products, estrogens, oral contraceptives, phenytoin, nicotinic acid, sympathomimetics, calcium channel blocking drugs, and isoniazid. When such drugs are administered to a patient receiving glipizide, the patient should be closely observed for loss of control. When such drugs are withdrawn from a patient receiving glipizide, the patient should be observed closely for hypoglycemia. A potential interaction between oral miconazole and oral hypoglycemic agents leading to severe hypoglycemia has been reported. Whether this interaction also occurs with the intravenous, topical, or vaginal preparations of miconazole is not known. The effect of concomitant administration of fluconazole and glipizide has been demonstrated in a placebo-controlled crossover study in normal volunteers. All subjects received glipizide alone and following treatment with 100 mg of fluconazole as a single daily oral dose for 7 days. The mean percentage increase in the glipizide AUC after fluconazole administration was 56.9% (range: 35 to 81). In studies assessing the effect of colesevelam on the pharmacokinetics of glipizide ER in healthy volunteers, reductions in glipizide AUC 0-∞ and C max of 12% and 13%, respectively were observed when colesevelam was coadministered with glipizide ER. When glipizide ER was administered 4 hours prior to colesevelam, there was no significant change in glipizide AUC 0-∞ or C max , -4% and 0%, respectively. Therefore, glipizide should be administered at least 4 hours prior to colesevelam to ensure that colesevelam does not reduce the absorption of glipizide.
Every glipizide product we track (3)
Same active ingredient — different manufacturer, form, price and FDA recall record. That last one is what our independent score measures.
| # | Drug | Rating | Type | Form | Generic? | Pharmacy pays | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 66/100 | Prescription | Tablet | Generic | $1 | View → | |
| 2 | 64/100 | Prescription | Tablet | Generic | $1 | View → | |
| 3 | 64/100 | Prescription | Tablet | Generic | $1 | View → |
What glipizide pills look like
Imprint codes, colour and shape from the FDA’s labelling data. Match the imprint on your pill — or search any imprint.
| Imprint | Strength | Colour | Shape | Maker |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| APO;GLP;5 | 5 mg | white | round | — |
| APO;GLP;10 | 10 mg | white | round | — |
| G;10 | 10 mg | white | round | — |
| G;5 | 5 mg | white | round | — |
| APO;GLP;5 | 5 mg | white | round | — |
| UpArrowhead;I4 | 10 mg | white | round | — |
Combination products containing glipizide
A combination is a different drug — different dosing, different warnings. It is listed here so you can find it, not so you can substitute it.
Glipizide recalls
From the FDA Enforcement database. A recall covers specific lots — not the drug as a whole.
Can you crush or split glipizide?
At least one glipizideproduct is labelled to be swallowed whole — crushing an extended-release tablet releases the whole day’s dose at once. Which applies depends on the form you were given.
What each glipizide label says about crushing, splitting and chewingGlipizide and breastfeeding
From LactMed, the US National Library of Medicine’s Drugs and Lactation Database — quoted, not rewritten.
Full LactMed record for glipizide: levels in milk, effects in breastfed infants, and the drugs it would consider insteadLimited data indicate that the levels of glipizide in milk are low. However, an alternate drug for which there is more information may be preferred, especially while nursing a newborn or preterm infant. Monitor breastfed infants for signs of hypoglycemia such as jitteriness, excessive sleepiness, poor feeding, seizures cyanosis, apnea, or hypothermia. If there is concern, monitoring of the breastfed infant's blood glucose is advisable during maternal therapy with hypoglycemic agents.
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, record revised May 15, 2026. LactMed states its information is not a substitute for professional judgement.
What people report to the FDA about glipizide
The FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) collects reports from patients and clinicians. It holds 55,329 reports naming glipizide, and the FDA flagged 55% of those reports as serious. The effects reported most often — leaving out reports about overdose, misuse or the condition being treated, which dominate the raw list for common medicines:
- blood glucose increased5,897 reports
- nausea4,024 reports
- diarrhoea3,261 reports
- fatigue2,880 reports
- weight decreased2,401 reports
- dizziness2,264 reports
- dyspnoea2,190 reports
- vomiting2,068 reports
Read these as a signal, not a rate. A report does not mean glipizide caused the effect — anyone can file one, and many describe people taking several medicines for several conditions. Crucially there is no denominator: FAERS does not record how many people took the drug, so these counts cannot be turned into “X% of patients” — a bigger number often just means a more widely used or more talked-about drug. Duplicates exist, and publicity drives reporting. For what is actually established, read the FDA label section above.
Source: openFDA drug/event (FAERS), retrieved August 25, 2026.
How long glipizide stays in your system
The elimination half-life of glipizide is about 2 to 4 hours. This is the elimination half-life in normal subjects; the label reports the same 2-4 hours whether the drug is given orally or intravenously. No active-metabolite caveat: the label states glipizide's primary metabolites are inactive hydroxylation products and polar conjugates, so nothing outlasts the parent drug. Note that blood-glucose lowering can persist up to ~24 hours after a single dose even though plasma levels have fallen far below peak — the pharmacologic effect outlasts the plasma half-life, but that is not the same as the elimination half-life. This immediate-release glipizide label does NOT give a separate numeric half-life for older adults or for kidney or liver impairment, so no adjusted figure is reported here; glipizide is extensively metabolized in the liver with <10% excreted unchanged in urine.
Glipizide tablet — DailyMed label, Clinical Pharmacology / Pharmacokinetics ↗Half-life is how long the body takes to clear half a dose. It is not the same as how long a drug test can detect it, and it varies with age, kidney and liver function.
Related calculators
Frequently asked questions
What is glipizide?
Glipizide is a sulfonylurea used to treat Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.
What kind of drug is glipizide?
The FDA classifies glipizide as a sulfonylurea. If you are checking whether it is safe to combine with something else, the class is what matters — two drugs from the same class usually should not be stacked.
How long does glipizide stay in your system?
The elimination half-life of glipizide is about 2 to 4 hours — that is how long the body takes to clear half of a dose. This is the elimination half-life in normal subjects; the label reports the same 2-4 hours whether the drug is given orally or intravenously. No active-metabolite caveat: the label states glipizide's primary metabolites are inactive hydroxylation products and polar conjugates, so nothing outlasts the parent drug. Note that blood-glucose lowering can persist up to ~24 hours after a single dose even though plasma levels have fallen far below peak — the pharmacologic effect outlasts the plasma half-life, but that is not the same as the elimination half-life. This immediate-release glipizide label does NOT give a separate numeric half-life for older adults or for kidney or liver impairment, so no adjusted figure is reported here; glipizide is extensively metabolized in the liver with <10% excreted unchanged in urine. Half-life is not the same as how long a drug test can detect the drug, and it varies with age, kidney and liver function.
Can you take glipizide with other medicines?
It depends on the medicine. We check it against the FDA labels rather than guessing: our interaction checker searches each drug's own label for the other and quotes what it says, naming the section it came from. Run glipizide against whatever else you take — and remember that a label not naming a drug is not the same as that combination being safe.
What brand names is glipizide sold under?
We track 3 glipizide-containing products in the U.S.: Glipizide, Glucotrol and Glucotrol XL. They are the same active ingredient; they differ in form, manufacturer, price and FDA recall record.
What forms does glipizide come in?
Across the brands we track, glipizide is currently marketed as tablet and tablet, extended release, per the FDA's National Drug Code Directory. Each form is dosed differently — follow the label for the exact product you were prescribed.
Is there a generic glipizide?
Yes. Our catalog lists 1 generic glipizide product alongside the brand versions. A generic has the same active ingredient and must meet the FDA's bioequivalence standard; it usually costs less. Ask your pharmacist which one your plan covers.
Has glipizide been recalled?
The FDA's Enforcement database lists 1 recall record whose product description mentions glipizide. The most recent: glipiZIDE, Extended-Release Tablets, 2.5 mg, 30-count (3x10 blister cards) carto… (Dec 17, 2024). A recall applies to specific lots, not to the drug as a whole — check the record for the affected lot numbers.
Cite this page
- APA
- pharmaranks. (2026, July 24). Glipizide: uses, dosing, side effects & brands. https://pharmaranks.com/drugs/glipizide
- MLA
- “Glipizide: uses, dosing, side effects & brands.” pharmaranks, 24 July 2026, https://pharmaranks.com/drugs/glipizide.
We summarise public FDA and NIH sources — for a clinical claim, cite the primary source we link to as well.
Sources: FDA openFDA drug label, National Drug Code Directory, and Enforcement (recall) database. This page reproduces public FDA data and is not medical advice. Dosing is set by your prescriber.
Read the full FDA label for glipizide on DailyMed (NIH) ↗.