What Should I Tell My Healthcare Provider?
You should talk with your healthcare provider prior to taking sitagliptin if you have:
- Kidney problems, including kidney failure (renal failure)
- A history of pancreatitis (inflammation or infection of the pancreas)
- Any allergies, including allergies to foods, dyes, or preservatives.
Also, let your healthcare provider know if you are:
Tell your healthcare provider about all of the medicines you take, including prescription and non-prescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements.
How Does Sitagliptin Work?
Sitagliptin is part of a class of
diabetes medications called dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors. DPP-4 is an enzyme that breaks down incretin hormones. As a DPP-4 inhibitor, sitagliptin slows down the breakdown of incretin hormones, increasing the level of these hormones in the body. It is this increase that is responsible for the beneficial actions of sitagliptin, including increasing
insulin production in response to meals and decreasing the amount of glucose (sugar) that the liver produces.
Because incretin hormones are more active in response to higher blood sugar levels (and are less active in response to low blood sugar), the risk of dangerously low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) is low with sitagliptin.
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