Drug interactions
Insulin glulisine + Saxagliptin
Severity: Moderate
Insulin glulisine and Saxagliptin: moderate interaction.
Last updated
For healthcare professionals — reference only. This page is a brief summary, not medical advice and not a substitute for official labeling or clinical judgement. Always verify before prescribing or dispensing.
Summary
Saxagliptin added to insulin improves control but increases the likelihood of hypoglycemia. Saxagliptin has also been linked to heart failure hospitalization in at-risk patients.
What this interaction means in plain words
Insulin glulisine and Saxagliptin can affect each other. The combination is often manageable, but it may need a change of dose, a change of timing, or extra checks while both are taken.
Insulin glulisine belongs to Endocrine; Saxagliptin belongs to Endocrine.
Why it happens
Additive glucose lowering from DPP-4 inhibition, enhancing glucose-dependent insulin secretion on top of exogenous insulin.
What to do
Monitor glucose and consider lowering the insulin dose when saxagliptin is started. Watch for heart failure symptoms in patients with cardiac risk.
What to ask your pharmacist
- Should I take them at different times of day?
- Does the dose of either medicine need to change?
- Is there anything I should avoid, such as alcohol or certain foods, while on both?
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Other interactions of Insulin glulisine
Other interactions of Saxagliptin
- Albiglutide + Saxagliptin Moderate
- Amlodipine-benazepril + Saxagliptin Moderate
- Aripiprazole + Saxagliptin Moderate
- Asenapine + Saxagliptin Moderate
- Atazanavir + Saxagliptin Moderate
- Benazepril + Saxagliptin Moderate
Frequently asked questions
Can I take Insulin glulisine with Saxagliptin?
MediHelp rates the interaction as moderate. Insulin glulisine and Saxagliptin can affect each other. The combination is often manageable, but it may need a change of dose, a change of timing, or extra checks while both are taken. Saxagliptin added to insulin improves control but increases the likelihood of hypoglycemia. Saxagliptin has also been linked to heart failure hospitalization in at-risk patients.
How serious is the interaction between Insulin glulisine and Saxagliptin?
MediHelp rates it moderate, on a four-level scale (minor, moderate, major, contraindicated) based on published labels and references. What to do, in brief: Monitor glucose and consider lowering the insulin dose when saxagliptin is started. Watch for heart failure symptoms in patients with cardiac risk.
What other medicines interact with Insulin glulisine?
MediHelp also lists interactions of Insulin glulisine with, for example, Alogliptin-pioglitazone, Ethanol, Pentamidine. The full list is on the Insulin glulisine page.
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