Key takeaways

  • Common side effects of glipizide include digestive system issues, dizziness, and low blood sugar levels. Serious side effects can include severely low blood sugar and liver problems.
  • Certain factors, such as age and kidney problems, can increase the risk of side effects from glipizide treatment.
  • Before taking glipizide, it’s important to discuss your health history with your doctor. They’ll discuss what to avoid when taking glipizide to help reduce the risk of side effects.

Glipizide oral tablets are used along with diet and exercise to help manage blood sugar levels in adults with type 2 diabetes.

Glipizide comes as immediate-release (IR) and extended-release (ER) tablets that you swallow. (IR means the drug releases the active ingredient as soon as you take it. ER means the drug slowly releases the active ingredient over a period of time.

Keep reading to learn about the common, mild, and serious side effects glipizide can cause.

Glipizide can cause certain side effects, some of which are more common than others. These side effects may be temporary, lasting a few days to weeks. Talk with your doctor if side effects do not go away, get worse, or become too difficult to tolerate.

Commonly reported side effects of glipizide oral tablet and glipizide ER oral tablet include:

Mild side effects have been reported with glipizide. These include:

  • weight gain
  • digestive system side effects, such as:
    • diarrhea
    • constipation
    • flatulence (gas)
    • indigestion
    • nausea and vomiting
  • dizziness
  • drowsiness
  • headache
  • nervousness
  • tremor
  • mild low blood sugar level

In most cases, these side effects should be temporary. And some may be easily managed. But if you have symptoms that are ongoing or bother you, talk with your doctor or pharmacist. And do not stop taking glipizide unless your doctor recommends it.

Glipizide may cause mild side effects other than those listed previously. See the prescribing information of glipizide oral tablet and glipizide ER oral tablet for details.

Glipizide may cause serious side effects. The following list may not include all possible serious side effects of the drug. For more information, you can refer to the prescribing information for glipizide oral tablet and glipizide ER oral tablet.

If you develop serious side effects while taking glipizide, call your doctor right away. If the side effects seem life threatening or you think you’re having a medical emergency, immediately call 911 or your local emergency number.

Note: After the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approves a drug, it tracks and reviews side effects of the medication. Sharing your experience helps make medication safer for everyone by giving doctors and researchers more information about how the drug works in real life. If you develop a side effect while taking glipizide and want to tell the FDA about it, visit MedWatch or call 800-FDA-1088.

* To learn more about this side effect, see the “Glipizide’s side effects explained” section.

Allergic reaction

Like most drugs, glipizide can cause an allergic reaction in some people. Symptoms can be mild to serious and can include:

  • skin rash
  • itchiness
  • flushing (temporary warmth, redness, or deepening of skin colour)
  • swelling under your skin, usually in your eyelids, lips, hands, or feet
  • swelling of your mouth, tongue, or throat, which can make it hard to breathe

What might help

If you have mild symptoms of an allergic reaction, such as a mild rash, call your doctor right away. They may suggest a treatment to manage your symptoms. Examples include:

  • an antihistamine you swallow, such as Benadryl (diphenhydramine)
  • a product you apply to your skin, such as hydrocortisone cream

If your doctor confirms you’ve had a mild allergic reaction to glipizide, they’ll determine if you should continue taking it.

If you have symptoms of a severe allergic reaction, such as swelling or trouble breathing, call 911 or your local emergency number right away. These symptoms could be life threatening and require immediate medical care.

If your doctor confirms you’ve had a serious allergic reaction to glipizide, they may have you switch to a different treatment.

Glipizide is typically taken long term, so long-term side effects are possible. They include those that may start at any time you’re taking a drug, even if you’ve taken it for a long time. They also include side effects that may not go away even after you stop taking the drug.

Possible long-term side effects of glipizide include:

  • low levels of certain blood cells
  • liver problems
  • weight gain

There’s also an increased risk of death related to heart and blood vessel problems, such as heart attack or stroke, with long-term use of glipizide. However, this is rare.

Talk with your doctor to learn more about the long-term side effects of glipizide and how long they may last.

Get answers to some frequently asked questions about glipizide’s side effects.

Can glipizide cause weight gain or weight loss?

Weight gain and weight loss were not reported as side effects in studies of glipizide oral tablet and glipizide ER oral tablet. But weight gain has been reported with glipizide and other sulfonylurea drugs since the drug came on the market (glipizide is a type of sulfonylurea drug). Weight gain is one of the more commonly reported side effects of sulfonylureas.

Glipizide is used along with diet and exercise to help manage blood sugar levels in people with type 2 diabetes. Your doctor may suggest changes to your diet and exercise routine when you start glipizide treatment. These changes could lead to weight loss, but this won’t likely be caused by the drug itself.

If you’re concerned about weight changes with glipizide, talk with your doctor or pharmacist. They can recommend ways to manage your weight while you’re taking the drug.

Do older adults have an increased risk of side effects from glipizide?

It’s possible that adults ages 65 years and older may have an increased risk of side effects from glipizide.

This is because older adults may have health conditions, such as liver and kidney problems. And these conditions could increase their risk of side effects from the drug, particularly low blood sugar levels. (To learn more about low blood sugar levels, see the “Glipizide’s side effects explained” section.)

Being age 65 years or older also increases the risk of low blood sugar from any diabetes medication, including glipizide.

Due to this risk, doctors may give older adults a lower dose of glipizide when they start treatment. And they may slowly increase the dosage over time to reduce the risk of side effects.

If you have questions about how your age may affect your risk of glipizide’s side effects, talk with your doctor or pharmacist.

Does the risk of side effects from glipizide ER increase with higher doses (2.5 mg, 5 mg, 10 mg)?

Not necessarily. Glipizide ER is available in three strengths: 2.5 milligrams (mg), 5 mg, and 10 mg. In general, glipizide ER’s side effects are the same regardless of the strength the doctor has prescribed you.

If you have concerns about your glipizide dose and side effects, talk with your doctor or pharmacist.

Will I experience different side effects if I take glipizide with metformin?

The side effects of glipizide are expected to be the same regardless of other medications it’s taken with. But when taking the drug with metformin (Fortamet, Glumetza), you may have side effects of metformin in addition to those of glipizide.

Common side effects of metformin include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and other digestive side effects. Glipizide may also cause digestive side effects. So, you may have more severe or frequent digestive side effects when these drugs are taken together than when each is taken alone.

If you have questions about what to expect when taking glipizide with metformin, talk with your doctor or pharmacist.

Learn more about some of the side effects glipizide may cause.

Low blood sugar level

Hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) was a common side effect in studies of glipizide oral tablet and glipizide ER oral tablet. The risk of this side effect may be greater for people who:

  • are ages 65 years or older
  • have kidney problems
  • take other diabetes medications

Symptoms of hypoglycemia may include:

What might help

Tell your doctor right away if you have symptoms of hypoglycemia with glipizide. They may need to adjust your dosage to reduce the risk of this side effect happening again.

If you have symptoms of hypoglycemia with glipizide, try to increase your blood sugar level. You can do this by eating 15 grams (g) of carbohydrates. Good sources include:

  • glucose tablets
  • 4 ounces (oz) of soda (regular, not diet)
  • 4 oz of juice
  • hard candies

After 15 minutes, check your blood sugar level. If needed, consume another 15 g of carbohydrates and repeat this process.

If you’re prescribed glipizide or other drugs for treating diabetes, your doctor may also prescribe glucagon for you. Glucagon is used to treat severely low blood sugar.

If you have questions about what to do for hypoglycemia, talk with your doctor.

Low levels of certain blood cells

Taking glipizide may cause a low level of certain blood cells. This includes low levels of platelets, red blood cells, and white blood cells.

It’s not clear how often this side effect occurred in studies of glipizide oral tablet. Blood cell levels weren’t reported in studies of glipizide ER oral tablet. But this side effect has been reported after glipizide ER became available for use.

Possible symptoms of each condition are provided as follows:

  • With low platelet levels, you may bleed or bruise more easily than usual.
  • With low red blood cell levels, you may have fatigue, lightheadedness, or pale-looking gums, nails, or skin.
  • With low white blood cell levels, you may not have any symptoms. But having low white blood cells can increase your risk of infection. And infection may cause fever, chills, and body aches.

What might help

Your doctor may check your blood cell levels with a blood test before you start glipizide and often during your treatment.

If you have symptoms of the conditions above while taking glipizide, tell your doctor. They’ll likely check your blood test results and suggest ways to ease your symptoms. They’ll tell you if it’s safe for you to keep taking glipizide.

Liver problems

Liver problems are a possible side effect of glipizide. It’s not clear how often this side effect happened in studies of glipizide oral tablet and glipizide ER oral tablet. Liver problems have also been reported since the drug became available for use.

Specifically, glipizide may cause unusual results of liver function tests or cholestasis (a condition that happens when the bile duct is blocked). The drug may also cause liver damage.

Symptoms of liver problems may include:

  • jaundice (yellowing of your skin or the whites of your eyes)
  • nausea, diarrhea, or low appetite
  • fatigue

What might help

If you have symptoms of liver problems while taking glipizide, tell your doctor right away. They may order tests to check your liver function. If you have a liver problem, your doctor will tell you whether it’s safe to keep taking glipizide.

Before taking glipizide, discuss your health history with your doctor. Glipizide may not be right for you if you have certain medical conditions or other factors affecting your health. Your doctor can discuss when to avoid glipizide. Be sure to talk with your doctor if any of the following apply to you:

Disclaimer: Healthline has made every effort to make certain that all information is factually correct, comprehensive, and up to date. However, this article should not be used as a substitute for the knowledge and expertise of a licensed healthcare professional. You should always consult your doctor or another healthcare professional before taking any medication. The drug information contained herein is subject to change and is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects. The absence of warnings or other information for a given drug does not indicate that the drug or drug combination is safe, effective, or appropriate for all patients or all specific uses.