sulfonylurea
4 interactions related to sulfonylurea
alcohol + glipizide
Alcohol can potentiate the glucose-lowering effect of glipizide and, rarely, provoke a disulfiram-like flushing reaction; the main risk is prolonged hypoglycemia.
glipizide + berberine
Berberine lowers blood sugar on its own and also slows the breakdown of glipizide by inhibiting the liver enzyme CYP2C9. Taken together, the two effects can stack and increase the risk of low blood sugar (hypoglycemia), which with a sulfonylurea like glipizide can be prolonged. Do not combine them without prescriber supervision.
glipizide + bitter melon
Bitter melon (Momordica charantia) has its own blood-sugar-lowering activity through several mechanisms, including enhanced glucose uptake into muscle and possible effects on insulin secretion. Combined with the sulfonylurea glipizide, the effects can add together and push blood sugar too low, with the greatest risk after meals and in higher-risk patients.
glipizide + ginseng
Ginseng — especially American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius) — can lower blood sugar after meals, and glipizide also lowers blood sugar by stimulating insulin release. Taken together, their glucose-lowering effects can add up, modestly increasing the risk of hypoglycemia. Let the prescriber who manages your glipizide know before starting any ginseng product.