Prescription medication · Sulfonylurea
glipizide
Also sold as Glucotrol. Glipizide is used to improve blood sugar control in adults who have type 2 diabetes.
Data updated 2026-05-15
- 59,560
- FDA reportsOften reported
- 8
- InteractionsFew interactions
- In shortage
- FDA status
What the data shows
glipizide (Glucotrol) is a prescription Sulfonylurea, more reported than most tracked drugs (59,560 FDA reports), with 8 documented drug interactions.
Reporting volume reflects how widely a drug is used and studied, not how dangerous it is, a FAERS report documents a temporal association, never proof of cause.
glipizide (Glucotrol) is a prescription Sulfonylurea. Glipizide is used to improve blood sugar control in adults who have type 2 diabetes.
Glipizide is a medicine that helps lower blood sugar in adults with type 2 diabetes. It works along with diet and exercise.
Verify with FDA → · CMS NADAC pricing →
Drug Shortage Alert
glipizide is currently listed as to be discontinued by the FDA. Affected manufacturer: Pfizer Inc..
View all drug shortages →Drug Pricing (NADAC)
Generic Price
$0.04/unit
Generic Available
Yes (12 manufacturers)
Pricing data from NADAC (CMS), effective December 18, 2024. Compare all drug costs →
NADAC price trail: GLIPIZIDE 10 MG TABLET
Same CMS presentation as the headline generic unit price above (3 effective dates). Adjacent % compares consecutive NADAC releases for this description only, not a patient out-of-pocket quote. Latest step: -12.3% vs prior release.
| Effective | NADAC / unit | vs prior | NDCs |
|---|---|---|---|
| July 17, 2024 | $0.0431/EA | - | 2 |
| August 21, 2024 | $0.0475/EA | +10.1% | 2 |
| December 18, 2024 | $0.0417/EA | -12.3% | 16 |
What it does
Glipizide is used to improve blood sugar control in adults who have type 2 diabetes.
Common side effects
Nausea, Diarrhea, Skin rash
Key warnings
Glipizide can cause low blood sugar (hypoglycemia).
The sections below are summarized in plain English from glipizide's FDA-approved prescribing information. They describe what the official label says, and are not personal medical advice.
How It Works
Glipizide belongs to a class of drugs called sulfonylureas. It works by helping your pancreas release more insulin. Insulin then helps your body use sugar from the food you eat.
Side Effects (from patient reports)
Based on 59,560 FDA adverse event reports.
Most-reported reactions
Adverse reactions in FAERS for glipizide, by number of reports
- Blood Glucose Increased
Blood Glucose Increased
6,677 reports
- Nausea
Nausea
4,444 reports
- Diarrhoea
Diarrhoea
3,265 reports
- Fatigue
Fatigue
2,994 reports
- Weight Decreased
Weight Decreased
2,812 reports
- Dizziness 2,438
Dizziness
2,438 reports
- Dyspnoea 2,402
Dyspnoea
2,402 reports
- Blood Glucose Decreased 2,232
Blood Glucose Decreased
2,232 reports
- Vomiting 2,166
Vomiting
2,166 reports
- Asthenia 2,112
Asthenia
2,112 reports
What this shows Bars show how often each reaction was reported, not how likely it is to happen, a report records a temporal association, never proof that the drug caused it.
Reports over time
Adverse-event reports filed for glipizide each year to the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS).
Year-to-year volume tracks usage, prescribing, and scrutiny, not a change in per-patient risk. Source: FDA FAERS.
Where glipizide sits
glipizide has more FDA adverse-event reports than 77% of the drugs FAERS tracks. A high position reflects how widely a drug is used and watched, not how dangerous it is.
Percentile across all drugs PlainMeds tracks by FAERS report volume. The dot is glipizide; the line is the median (50th percentile).
FDA Adverse Event Report Analysis
Detailed analysis of 59,560 reports from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). Reports span 2004–2025.
Total Reports
59,560
Reports Mentioning Death
5,214
8.8% of reports — not proof of cause
Hospitalization Reports
17,788
Top Indication
Product Used For Unknown Indication
Gender Distribution
Age Distribution
Most Reported Adverse Reactions (FAERS)
| # | Reaction | Reports |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | BLOOD GLUCOSE INCREASED | 6,677 |
| 2 | NAUSEA | 4,444 |
| 4 | DIARRHOEA | 3,265 |
| 5 | FATIGUE | 2,994 |
| 6 | WEIGHT DECREASED | 2,812 |
| 7 | DIZZINESS | 2,438 |
| 8 | DYSPNOEA | 2,402 |
| 9 | BLOOD GLUCOSE DECREASED | 2,232 |
| 10 | VOMITING | 2,166 |
| 11 | ASTHENIA | 2,112 |
| 12 | PAIN | 2,070 |
| 13 | HEADACHE | 2,039 |
| 14 | DEATH | 2,034 |
| 15 | DECREASED APPETITE | 1,972 |
| 16 | CHRONIC KIDNEY DISEASE | 1,643 |
Reactions in Death Reports
Reactions in Hospitalization Reports
Source: FDA FAERS (Adverse Event Reporting System) Reports are voluntary and do not establish causation
Serious Warnings
Glipizide can cause low blood sugar (hypoglycemia). Watch for symptoms like shakiness, sweating, confusion, and rapid heartbeat. If you have very low blood sugar, get medical help right away. Certain drugs can increase the risk of low blood sugar. Tell your doctor about all the medicines you take.
Known Drug Interactions
The effect of concomitant administration of DIFLUCAN ® (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 DIFLUCAN 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).
Mechanism: Fluconazole slows down the way your body breaks down glipizide, which causes the medicine to build up in your blood. This can lead to a dangerous drop in blood sugar levels.
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 co-administered 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.
Mechanism: Colesevelam can bind to glipizide in your digestive system, which stops the medicine from being absorbed into your body. This makes the glipizide less effective at controlling your blood sugar.
Drug Interactions The hypoglycemic action of sulfonylureas may be potentiated by certain drugs including non-steroidal 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.
Mechanism: Probenecid can strengthen the effect of glipizide, which may cause your blood sugar to drop too low. It does this by slowing down how the body removes the medicine or by changing how it travels in the blood.
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.
Mechanism: Phenytoin can interfere with how glipizide controls blood sugar, potentially causing your blood sugar levels to rise.
Oral Hypoglycemic Agents In pharmacokinetic studies of lovastatin in hypercholesterolemic non-insulin dependent diabetic patients, there was no drug interaction with glipizide or with chlorpropamide (see CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY , Clinical Studies in Adults ).
Mechanism: Studies show these drugs do not interfere with each other when taken at the same time.
This is a plain-language summary of FDA-label interaction records and does not provide individual medication-combination directions.
Common Questions
What should I do if I feel shaky or sweaty after taking glipizide?
Can I drink alcohol while taking glipizide?
Will glipizide cure my diabetes?
What if glipizide stops working for me?
Can I take other medications with glipizide?
How often should I check my blood sugar?
What are the symptoms of high blood sugar?
Can glipizide cause weight gain?
What should I do if I have a skin rash while taking glipizide?
Can I stop taking glipizide if my blood sugar is under control?
What are the common side effects of glipizide?
Does glipizide interact with other medications?
What drug class is glipizide?
What pregnancy or breastfeeding source fields are listed for glipizide?
Has glipizide been recalled?
Is glipizide currently in shortage?
Active Recalls
Failed Dissolution Specifications:
Amerisource Health Services LLC
Related Medications in Sulfonylurea
Other drugs grouped near glipizide - same-class peers and common alternatives.
acarbose
Precose
Acarbose is a medicine that helps lower blood sugar levels in people with type 2 diabetes.
Compare with glipizide →
alogliptin
Nesina
Compare with glipizide →
bromocriptine
Cycloset
Bromocriptine (Cycloset) is a medicine that acts like dopamine in your body.
Compare with glipizide →
canagliflozin
Invokana
Invokana is a medicine used with diet and exercise to lower blood sugar in adults with type 2 diabetes.
Compare with glipizide →
colesevelam
Welchol
Colesevelam is a medicine that helps lower bad cholesterol (LDL-C) and control blood sugar in adults.
Compare with glipizide →
Compare beyond drug class
Nationwide peers by FAERS volume & death-report share
Two PlainMeds-derived comparison paths for glipizide: nearest FDA FAERS report volume and nearest death-report share among drugs with at least 1,000 logged reports, excluding same-class neighbors listed above. Counts reflect reporting volume, not proven individual harm.
Similar FAERS report volume
Nearest drugs by total FAERS reports. This record: 59,560.
Similar death-report share
Nearest drugs by FAERS death-report share. This record: 8.75%.
- melatonin Δ 0.02 pts · 51,370 reports · Hormone Supplement (Sleep Aid) 8.77%death share
- erythromycin Δ 0.05 pts · 18,237 reports · Macrolide Antibiotic 8.81%death share
- ertapenem Δ 0.06 pts · 3,848 reports · Carbapenem Antibiotic 8.81%death share
- pravastatin Δ 0.06 pts · 18,936 reports · HMG-CoA Reductase Inhibitor (Statin) 8.81%death share
Medication Guides
Understanding Drug Interactions
How CYP450 enzymes, inhibitors, and inducers affect your medications
Generic vs Brand Name Drugs
FDA requirements, cost savings, and when the difference matters
Narrow Therapeutic Index Drugs
FDA bioequivalence and label-record context for narrow therapeutic index medicines
Common Drug Interactions
Dangerous medication combinations and how to protect yourself
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What the FDA Data Shows for glipizide
The FDA label for glipizide (sold under brand names such as Glucotrol) classifies it as a prescription-only medication in the Sulfonylurea class. Glipizide is used to improve blood sugar control in adults who have type 2 diabetes. Official labeling lists 6 commonly reported side effects, including Nausea, Diarrhea, Skin rash.
Post-market surveillance from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) captures real-world experience. For this drug, FAERS contains 59,560 voluntary reports. The database also lists 8 documented drug interactions derived from FDA labeling, with the top-flagged interaction rated minor severity. NADAC pricing from CMS shows a generic unit cost of $0.04.
Report counts do not establish causation, a FAERS entry documents a temporal association, not proof that the drug produced the outcome. Widely prescribed medications naturally accumulate more reports than niche therapies, so raw totals must be interpreted alongside total exposure. Shortage status, recall history (currently 1 recall record on file), and patent information are separate source-record fields. This page is a public FDA/CMS registry and does not provide medical, treatment, substitution, or medication-change directions.
Data Sources
Drug labeling: FDA Drug Labels (SPL/DailyMed). Adverse events: FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). Pricing: CMS National Average Drug Acquisition Cost (NADAC). Shortage status: FDA Drug Shortages Database.
FAERS reports are voluntary and do not establish causation. Drug interactions are derived from FDA labeling and clinical references. This registry does not provide medication decisions.
Last updated: January 5, 2024
PlainMeds is rendered directly from FDA openFDA/FAERS extracts, DailyMed labels, and CMS drug-pricing files, no number is typed in by an editor. FAERS counts, recalls, shortages, and price figures on this page are queried live from those federal extracts. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-05-15. Primary sources: openFDA / FAERS, DailyMed and CMS Part B ASP.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
Data currency: FDA FAERS adverse-event reports through 2025, CMS NADAC acquisition-cost pricing effective December 2024, compiled from the source snapshot dated . See our methodology for per-source dates and refresh cadence. Spot a figure that looks wrong? Report a data issue.
All federal data sources used on this page
- FDA Orange Book - approved drug products with therapeutic equivalence. accessdata.fda.gov/cder/ob
- FDA DailyMed - NIH-hosted drug labeling for FDA-approved meds. dailymed.nlm.nih.gov
- FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) - post-marketing safety surveillance. fda.gov/drugs/faers
- NLM RxNorm - standardized clinical drug nomenclature. nlm.nih.gov/research/umls/rxnorm
- CMS Medicare Part B Drug Average Sales Price Files - federal drug pricing data. cms.gov/medicare/part-b-drugs/asp
- FDA Drug Shortages Database - current and resolved drug shortage tracking. accessdata.fda.gov/drugshortages