Patient Leaflet Updated 07-Nov-2023 | Merck Sharp & Dohme (UK) Limited
Januvia 25mg, 50mg, 100mg film-coated tablets
Januvia® 25 mg film-coated tablets
Januvia® 50 mg film-coated tablets
Januvia® 100 mg film-coated tablets
sitagliptin
1. What Januvia is and what it is used for
2. What you need to know before you take Januvia
3. How to take Januvia
4. Possible side effects
5. How to store Januvia
6. Contents of the pack and other information
Januvia contains the active substance sitagliptin which is a member of a class of medicines called DPP-4 inhibitors (dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors) that lowers blood sugar levels in adult patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.
This medicine helps to increase the levels of insulin produced after a meal and decreases the amount of sugar made by the body.
Your doctor has prescribed this medicine to help lower your blood sugar, which is too high because of your type 2 diabetes. This medicine can be used alone or in combination with certain other medicines (insulin, metformin, sulphonylureas, or glitazones) that lower blood sugar, which you may already be taking for your diabetes together with a food and exercise plan.
What is type 2 diabetes?
Type 2 diabetes is a condition in which your body does not make enough insulin, and the insulin that your body produces does not work as well as it should. Your body can also make too much sugar. When this happens, sugar (glucose) builds up in the blood. This can lead to serious medical problems like heart disease, kidney disease, blindness, and amputation.
Cases of inflammation of the pancreas (pancreatitis) have been reported in patients receiving Januvia (see section 4).
If you encounter blistering of the skin it may be a sign for a condition called bullous pemphigoid. Your doctor may ask you to stop Januvia.
Tell your doctor if you have or have had:
This medicine is unlikely to cause low blood sugar because it does not work when your blood sugar is low. However, when this medicine is used in combination with a sulphonylurea medicine or with insulin, low blood sugar (hypoglycaemia) can occur. Your doctor may reduce the dose of your sulphonylurea or insulin medicine.
Children and adolescents below 18 years should not use this medicine. It is not effective in children and adolescents between the ages of 10 and 17 years. It is not known if this medicine is safe and effective when used in children younger than 10 years.
Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking, have recently taken or might take any other medicines.
In particular, tell your doctor if you are taking digoxin (a medicine used to treat irregular heartbeat and other heart problems). The level of digoxin in your blood may need to be checked if taking with Januvia.
If you are pregnant or breast-feeding, think you may be pregnant or are planning to have a baby, ask your doctor or pharmacist for advice before taking this medicine.
You should not take this medicine during pregnancy.
It is not known if this medicine passes into breast milk. You should not take this medicine if you are breast-feeding or plan to breast-feed.
This medicine has no or negligible influence on the ability to drive and use machines. However, dizziness and drowsiness have been reported, which may affect your ability to drive or use machines.
Taking this medicine in combination with medicines called sulphonylureas or with insulin can cause hypoglycaemia, which may affect your ability to drive and use machines or work without safe foothold.
This medicine contains less than 1 mmol sodium (23 mg) per tablet, that is to say essentially ‘sodium-free’.
Always take this medicine exactly as your doctor has told you. Check with your doctor or pharmacist if you are not sure.
The usual recommended dose is:
If you have kidney problems, your doctor may prescribe lower doses (such as 25 mg or 50 mg).
You can take this medicine with or without food and drink.
Your doctor may prescribe this medicine alone or with certain other medicines that lower blood sugar.
Diet and exercise can help your body use its blood sugar better. It is important to stay on the diet and exercise recommended by your doctor while taking Januvia.
If you take more than the prescribed dosage of this medicine, contact your doctor immediately.
If you miss a dose, take it as soon as you remember. If you do not remember until it is time for your next dose, skip the missed dose and go back to your regular schedule. Do not take a double dose of this medicine.
Continue to take this medicine as long as your doctor prescribes it so you can continue to help control your blood sugar. You should not stop taking this medicine without talking to your doctor first.
If you have any further questions on the use of this medicine, ask your doctor or pharmacist.
Like all medicines, this medicine can cause side effects, although not everybody gets them.
STOP taking Januvia and contact a doctor immediately if you notice any of the following serious side effects:
If you have a serious allergic reaction (frequency not known), including rash, hives, blisters on the skin/peeling skin and swelling of the face, lips, tongue, and throat that may cause difficulty in breathing or swallowing, stop taking this medicine and call your doctor right away. Your doctor may prescribe a medicine to treat your allergic reaction and a different medicine for your diabetes.
Some patients have experienced the following side effects after adding sitagliptin to metformin:
Common (may affect up to 1 in 10 people): low blood sugar, nausea, flatulence, vomiting
Uncommon (may affect up to 1 in 100 people): stomach ache, diarrhoea, constipation, drowsiness
Some patients have experienced different types of stomach discomfort when starting the combination of sitagliptin and metformin together (frequency is common).
Some patients have experienced the following side effects while taking sitagliptin in combination with a sulphonylurea and metformin:
Very common (may affect more than 1 in 10 people): low blood sugar
Common: constipation
Some patients have experienced the following side effects while taking sitagliptin and pioglitazone:
Common: flatulence, swelling of the hands or legs
Some patients have experienced the following side effects while taking sitagliptin in combination with pioglitazone and metformin:
Common: swelling of the hands or legs
Some patients have experienced the following side effects while taking sitagliptin in combination with insulin (with or without metformin):
Common: flu
Uncommon: dry mouth
Some patients have experienced the following side effects while taking sitagliptin alone in clinical studies, or during post-approval use alone and/or with other diabetes medicines:
Common: low blood sugar, headache, upper respiratory infection, stuffy or runny nose and sore throat, osteoarthritis, arm or leg pain
Uncommon: dizziness, constipation, itching
Rare: reduced number of platelets
Frequency not known: kidney problems (sometimes requiring dialysis), vomiting, joint pain, muscle pain, back pain, interstitial lung disease, bullous pemphigoid (a type of skin blister)
If you get any side effects, talk to your doctor, pharmacist, or nurse. This includes any possible side effects not listed in this leaflet. You can also report side effects directly via the Yellow Card Scheme at: www.mhra.gov.uk/yellowcard or search for MHRA Yellow Card in the Google Play or Apple App Store. By reporting side effects you can help provide more information on the safety of this medicine.
Keep this medicine out of the sight and reach of children.
Do not use this medicine after the expiry date which is stated on the blister and the carton after ‘EXP’. The expiry date refers to the last day of that month.
Store below 25 °C.
Do not throw away medicines via wastewater or household waste. Ask your pharmacist how to throw away medicines you no longer use. These measures will help protect the environment.
Opaque blisters (PVC/PE/PVDC and aluminium). Packs of 14, 28, 30, 56, 84, 90 or 98 film-coated tablets and 50 x 1 film-coated tablets in perforated unit dose blisters.
Not all pack sizes may be marketed.
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Manufacturer
For any information about this medicine, please contact:
This leaflet was last revised in October 2023.
© 2023 Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA and its affiliates. All rights reserved.
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