Acarbose slows the breakdown of carbohydrates which form part of foods, so those are absorbed more slowly. Thus, the blood sugar level does not increase as sharply after food intake.
High blood sugar levels can lead to long-term severe damage to blood vessels and major organs like the heart, brain, kidneys, eyes and nervous system. Acarbose helps keep blood sugar within normal limits, reducing the incidence of injuries or delaying the onset of these.
Acarbose is administered to diabetic patients. It is used for the treatment of adult onset diabetes in which the dietary regime is inadequate or as an adjunct to treatment with sulfonylureas, metformin, or insulin.
Medizzine recommends consulting your doctor if you are unsure (or you do not know) why you have been given acarbose.
Other ingredients of available commercial presentations:
Each tablet contains 50 mg or 100 mg acarbose (INN). The other ingredients are corn starch, microcrystalline cellulose, colloidal anhydrous silica, and magnesium stearate.
Warning:
The composition of the various presentations may vary from one country to another. We recommend you consult the information provided by your local supplier.
Do not use acarbose
If you are allergic (hypersensitive) to acarbose or any of the other ingredients of the medicinal product prescribed to you. If you think may be allergic, ask your doctor.
Allergy symptoms may include:
- Asthma attacks with shortness of breath, audible wheezing or rapid breathing.
- More or less sudden swelling of the face, lips, tongue or elsewhere in the body. It is especially critical if it affects the vocal cords.
- Hives, itching, rash
- Anaphylactic shock (loss of consciousness, paleness, sweating, etc.).
Nor you should take this medicine:
- If you have chronic intestinal disorders associated with impaired digestion and absorption
- If you have a disease of the intestine (eg Roemheld syndrome, major hernias, intestinal obstructions and intestinal ulcers)
- If you have a kidney disease
- If you have diabetic ketoacidosis or liver cirrhosis.
Take special care with acarbose
- If you notice tiredness, lack of appetite, abdominal pain, dark urine or yellowing of the skin or eyes (jaundice), consult your doctor immediately
- If it is administered to children or adolescents
Remember that your doctor has prescribed this medicine only for you. Never give it to someone else.
If in doubt, consult your doctor.
Taking other medicines
Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking or have recently taken any other medicines, including herbal products or drugs obtained without a prescription.
Tell your doctor if you are taking:
- Sulfonylureas (glyburide, glipizide, etc), metformin or insulin
- In the event that acarbose causes diarrhea, can interfere with the absorption of other drugs administered orally.
- Co-administration with laxatives may potentiate the effect of these.
It is possible that the efficacy of acarbose is diminished by the simultaneous use of antacids, some drugs that reduce cholesterol levels, intestinal absorbents or digestive enzyme compounds. Therefore, these combinations should be avoided.
- In isolated cases, acarbose may affect the bioavailability of digoxin, necessitating an adjustment of the digoxin dose.
Use with food and beverages
It is recommended to limit the intake of table sugar and foods containing it, as it may cause abdominal discomfort or diarrhea.
For optimal effect, acarbose should be taken at the beginning of meals.
Special physiological situations
Pregnancy and lactation:
Always consult your doctor or pharmacist before taking any medicine during pregnancy or breastfeeding.
In the case of pregnancy or suspected pregnancy, you must inform your doctor. Also, it is not recommended the acarbose use during lactation.
Children:
This drug is not recommended for children or adolescents.
Driving and using machines
No effects have been reported on the ability to drive and use machines.
Consult your doctor or pharmacist before taking any medicine.
Like all medicines, acarbose can cause side effects although not everybody gets them.
The frequency of side effects is classified into:
Very common: affect 1 out of 1-10 patients
Common: affect 1 out of 10-100 patients
Uncommon: affect 1 out of 100-1.000 patients
Rare: affect 1 out of 1.000-10.000 patients
Very Rare: affect less than 1 in 10,000 patients
Incidence not known: Can not be established the true incidence from the available data
Disorders of the blood and lymphatic system
- Thrombocytopenia; It occurs very rarely.
Immune system disorders
- Acute hypersensitivity reactions include rare allergic reactions mild or moderate character.
- Associated clinical symptoms are related to the skin (very rare: rash, erythema, urticaria).
Vascular disorders
- Vascular nonspecific symptoms such as edema (eg swelling of the legs) occur rarely.
Gastrointestinal disorders
- Gastrointestinal and nonspecific abdominal symptoms consist of flatulence (very common), and diarrhea and abdominal pain (common).
- Nausea, vomiting and digestive problems (uncommon).
- There have been very rare cases of subocclusion or bowel obstruction.
Hepatobiliary disorders
- Hepatic reactions include transient and uncommon elevated liver enzymes (including increased liver enzymes such as transaminases, alkaline phosphatase, and gamma-GT).
- Yellowing of the skin (jaundice) occurs rarely.
- Hepatitis (very rarely).
If you notice any side effects not listed in this website or in the leaflet accompanying the package, ask your doctor or pharmacist.
If any of the side effects gets serious, tell your doctor or pharmacist.
This page contains list of brands of authorized pharmaceutical specialties of the active principle acarbose in the countries listed below:
[ Australia] [ Brazil] [ Canada] [ France] [ Germany] [ India] [ Italy] [ Japan] [ Korea] [ Mexico] [ Puerto Rico] [ Spain] [ Turkey] [ United Kingdom] [ U.S.A]
Given the nature of the pharmaceutical market, some specialties may be unavailable, have been removed from the pharmaceutical market or have changed its name. So that, in no case can take decisions based on the information contained in the page. MEDIZZINE is not responsible for any damage arising from the information provided, which may be incomplete or outdated.
Warning:
With exceptions expressly indicated, these lists do not include active principle associations with other drugs or clinical use containers.
Australia: ▲
GLUCOBAY 50 mg, 90 tablets
GLUCOBAY 100 mg, 90 tablets
Brazil: ▲
AGLUCOSE 50 mg, 30 tablets
AGLUCOSE 100 mg, 30 tablets
GLUCOBAY 50 mg, 30 tablets
GLUCOBAY 100 mg, 30 tablets
Canada: ▲
GLUCOBAY 50 mg, 120 tablets
GLUCOBAY 100 mg, 120 tablets
France: ▲
GLUCOR 50 mg, 90 tablets
GLUCOR 100 mg, 90 tablets
GLUCOR 100 mg, 90 divisible tablets
Germany: ▲
ACARBOSE-CT 50 mg, tablets
ACARBOSE-CT 100 mg, tablets
ACARBOSE ABZ PHARMA 50 mg, tablets
ACARBOSE ABZ PHARMA 100 mg, tablets
ACARBOSE AL 50 mg, tablets
ACARBOSE AL 100 mg, tablets
ACARBOSE DURA 50 mg, tablets
ACARBOSE DURA 100 mg, tablets
ACARBOSE STADA 50 mg, tablets
ACARBOSE STADA 100 mg, tablets
ACARBOSE RATIOPHARM 50 mg, tablets
ACARBOSE RATIOPHARM 100 mg, tablets
GLUCOBAY 50 mg, tablets
GLUCOBAY 100 mg, tablets
India: ▲
ABACUS 50 mg, tablets
ACARB 25 mg, tablets
ACARB 50 mg, tablets
ACAREX 25 mg, tablets
ACAREX 50 mg, tablets
ACARWIN 25 mg, tablets
ACARWIN 50 mg, tablets
ACRAZ 50 mg, tablets
ASUCROSE 25 mg, tablets
ASUCROSE 50 mg, tablets
DIABOSE 25 mg, tablets
DIABOSE 50 mg, tablets
DIADOSE 50 mg, tablets
DISCARB 25 mg, tablets
DISCARB 50 mg, tablets
DISORB 25 mg, tablets
DISORB 50 mg, tablets
GLUBOSE 25 mg, tablets
GLUBOSE 50 mg, tablets
GLUCAR 25 mg, tablets
GLUCAR 50 mg, tablets
GLUCARB 50 mg, tablets
GLUCOBAY 25 mg, tablets
GLUCOBAY 50 mg, tablets
GLUCOBAY 100 mg, tablets
GLUCOBOSE 50 mg, tablets
GLUDASE 50 mg, tablets
HEBOSE 25 mg, tablets
HEBOSE 50 mg, tablets
K-CARB 25 mg, tablets
K-CARB 50 mg, tablets
OLCARBOS 25 mg, tablets
OLCARBOS 50 mg, tablets
REBOSE 25 mg, tablets
REBOSE 50 mg, tablets
RECARB 25 mg, tablets
RECARB 50 mg, tablets
SUBASE 50 mg, tablets
ZEBAY 25 mg, tablets
ZEBOSE 50 mg, tablets
Italy: ▲
ACARPHAGE 50 mg, 40 tablets
ACARPHAGE 100 mg, 40 tablets
GLICOBASE 100 mg, 40 tablets
GLUCOBAY 50 mg, 40 tablets
GLUCOBAY 100 mg, 40 tablets
Japan: ▲
ACARBOSE SAWAI 50 mg, 100 tablets
ACARBOSE SAWAI 100 mg, 100 tablets
ACARBOSE TAIYO 50 mg, 100 tablets
ACARBOSE TAIYO 100 mg, 100 tablets
ACARBOSE TAIYO CO LTD 50 mg, 100 tablets
ACARBOSE TAIYO CO LTD 100 mg, 100 tablets
GLUCOBAY 50 mg, 100 tablets
GLUCOBAY 100 mg, 100 tablets
Korea: ▲
GLUCOBAY 50 mg, tablets
GLUCOBAY 100 mg, tablets
Mexico: ▲
ACARBOSA KENER 50 mg, 30 tablets
GLEMISAL 50 mg, 30 and 90 tablets
GLEMISAL 100 mg, 30 and 90 tablets
GLUCOBAY 50 mg, 30 tablets
GLUCOBAY 100 mg, 30 tablets
INCARDEL 50 mg, 30 tablets
SINCROSA 50 mg, 30 tablets
SINCROSA 100 mg, 30 tablets
Spain: ▲
GLUCOBAY 50, 30 y 100 tablets
GLUCOBAY 100, 30 y 100 tablets
GLUMIDA 50, 30 y 100 tablets
GLUMIDA 100, 30 y 100 tablets
Turkey: ▲
ACNOR 50 mg, 30, 60 and 90 tablets
ACNOR 100 mg, 30, 60 and 90 tablets
GLUCAR 50 mg, 30, 60 and 90 tablets
GLUCAR 100 mg, 30, 60 and 90 tablets
GLUCOBAY 50 mg, 30 and 90 tablets
GLUCOBAY 100 mg, 30 and 90 tablets
GLYNOSE 50 mg, 30, 60 and 90 tablets
GLYNOSE 100 mg, 30, 60 and 90 tablets
OADOR 50 mg, 30 and 90 tablets
OADOR 100 mg, 30 and 90 tablets
United Kingdom: ▲
ACARBOSE AAH PHARMA 50 mg, 90 tablets
ACARBOSE AAH PHARMA 100 mg, 90 tablets
ACARBOSE ACTAVIS 50 mg, 90 tablets
ACARBOSE AAH PHARMA 100 mg, 90 tablets
ACARBOSE ACTAVIS 50 mg, 90 tablets
ACARBOSE ACTAVIS 100 mg, 90 tablets
ACARBOSE ALLIANCE 50 mg, 90 tablets
ACARBOSE ALLIANCE 100 mg, 90 tablets
ACARBOSE ARROW GEN. 100 mg, 90 tablets
ACARBOSE PHOENIX 50 mg, 90 tablets
ACARBOSE PHOENIX 100 mg, 90 tablets
GLUCOBAY 50 mg, 90 tablets
GLUCOBAY 100 mg, 90 tablets
U.S.A. and Puerto Rico: ▲
ACARBOSE COBALT 25 mg, 100 tablets
ACARBOSE COBALT 50 mg, 100 tablets
ACARBOSE COBALT 100 mg, 100 tablets
ACARBOSE GLOBAL PHARMA 25 mg, 100 tablets
ACARBOSE GLOBAL PHARMA 50 mg, 100 tablets
ACARBOSE GLOBAL PHARMA 100 mg, 100 tablets
ACARBOSE IMPAX 25 mg, 100 tablets
ACARBOSE IMPAX 50 mg, 100 tablets
ACARBOSE IMPAX 100 mg, 100 tablets
ACARBOSE ROXANE 25 mg, 100 tablets
ACARBOSE ROXANE 50 mg, 100 tablets
ACARBOSE ROXANE 100 mg, 100 tablets
ACARBOSE WATSON 25 mg, 100 tablets
ACARBOSE WATSON 50 mg, 100 tablets
ACARBOSE WATSON 100 mg, 100 tablets
PRECOSE 25 mg, 100 tablets
PRECOSE 50 mg, 100 tablets
PRECOSE 100 mg, 100 tablets
Page updated: December 11, 2010.