Sitagliptin
Ansifora contains the active substance sitagliptin, which belongs to a class of medicines called DPP-4 inhibitors (dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors), which reduce blood sugar levels in adults with type 2 diabetes.
This medicine helps to increase the amount of insulin released after a meal and decrease the amount of sugar produced by the body.
Your doctor has prescribed this medicine to lower your high blood sugar levels, which are a result of your type 2 diabetes. This medicine can be used alone or in combination with other medicines (insulin, metformin, sulfonylureas, or glitazones) that lower blood sugar levels, which you may already be taking together with diet and exercise.
What is type 2 diabetes?
Type 2 diabetes is a condition where the body does not produce enough insulin, and the insulin produced does not work as it should. The body may also produce too much sugar. If this happens, sugar (glucose) builds up in the blood. This can lead to serious health problems, such as heart disease, kidney disease, loss of vision, and limb amputation.
In patients taking Ansifora, cases of pancreatitis have been reported (see section 4).
If you develop blisters on your skin, this may be a sign of a condition called bullous pemphigoid. Your doctor may advise you to stop taking Ansifora.
Tell your doctor if you have or have had:
Because this medicine does not work when blood sugar levels are low, it is unlikely to cause low blood sugar levels. However, when taken with a sulfonylurea or insulin, it may cause low blood sugar levels (hypoglycemia). Your doctor may reduce the dose of the sulfonylurea or insulin.
Children and adolescents under 18 years of age should not take this medicine. This medicine is not effective in children and adolescents from 10 to 18 years of age. It is not known if this medicine is safe and effective when used in children under 10 years of age.
Tell your doctor or pharmacist about all the medicines you are taking, have recently taken, or might take.
In particular, tell your doctor if you are taking digoxin (a medicine used to treat heart rhythm disorders and other heart conditions). When taking Ansifora with digoxin, your doctor may need to check your digoxin levels.
If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, think you may be pregnant, or are planning to have a baby, ask your doctor or pharmacist for advice before taking this medicine.
Do not take this medicine during pregnancy.
It is not known if this medicine passes into breast milk. Do not take this medicine while breastfeeding or if you plan to breastfeed.
This medicine has no or negligible influence on the ability to drive and use machines. However, when driving or using machines, you should take into account that dizziness and drowsiness have been reported.
Taking this medicine with sulfonylureas or insulin may cause low blood sugar levels (hypoglycemia), which can affect your ability to drive or use machines, or work without safe support for your feet.
This medicine contains less than 1 mmol (23 mg) of sodium per tablet, which is essentially sodium-free.
Always take this medicine exactly as your doctor or pharmacist has told you. If you are not sure, ask your doctor or pharmacist.
The recommended dose is:
If you have kidney problems, your doctor may prescribe a lower dose of this medicine (such as 25 mg or 50 mg).
A 25 mg dose of another available medicine should be given.
This medicine can be taken with or without food and drink.
Your doctor may advise you to take this medicine alone or with certain other medicines that lower blood sugar levels.
Diet and exercise help your body use the sugar in your blood. When taking Ansifora, it is important to follow the diet and exercise plan recommended by your doctor.
If you take more of this medicine than you should, contact your doctor immediately.
If you miss a dose, take it as soon as possible. If it is almost time for your next dose, skip the missed dose and continue with your regular dosing schedule. Do not take a double dose.
To maintain control of your blood sugar levels, you should continue to take this medicine for as long as your doctor tells you. Do 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 Ansifora and contact your doctor immediately if you experience any of the following serious side effects:
If you experience a severe allergic reaction (frequency not known), including rash, hives, blisters on the skin, or peeling of the skin, and swelling of the face, lips, tongue, and throat, which may cause difficulty breathing or swallowing, stop taking this medicine and contact your doctor immediately. Your doctor may prescribe a medicine to treat the allergic reaction and another medicine to treat your diabetes.
In some patients, when sitagliptin was added to metformin, the following side effects were reported:
Common (may affect up to 1 in 10 people): low blood sugar levels, nausea, bloating, vomiting.
Uncommon (may affect up to 1 in 100 people): stomach pain, diarrhea, constipation, drowsiness.
Some patients experienced various stomach problems when starting treatment with sitagliptin in combination with metformin (common).
In some patients taking sitagliptin in combination with a sulfonylurea and metformin, the following side effects were reported:
Very common (may affect more than 1 in 10 people): low blood sugar levels.
Common: constipation.
In some patients taking sitagliptin and pioglitazone, the following side effects were reported:
Common: bloating, swelling of the hands or feet.
In some patients taking sitagliptin, pioglitazone, and metformin, the following side effects were reported:
Common: swelling of the hands or feet.
In some patients taking sitagliptin and insulin (with or without metformin), the following side effects were reported:
Common: flu.
Uncommon: dry mouth.
In some patients taking sitagliptin alone or with other diabetes medicines in clinical studies or after marketing, the following side effects were reported:
Common: low blood sugar levels, headache, upper respiratory tract infections, stuffy or runny nose and sore throat, osteoarthritis, pain in the arm or leg.
Uncommon: dizziness, constipation, itching.
Rare (may affect up to 1 in 1,000 people): reduced platelet count.
Frequency not known (frequency cannot be estimated from the available data): kidney problems (sometimes requiring dialysis), vomiting, joint pain, muscle pain, back pain, interstitial lung disease, bullous pemphigoid (a type of blistering skin condition).
If you experience any side effects, including any not listed in this leaflet, tell your doctor, pharmacist, or nurse. Side effects can be reported directly to the Department of Drug Safety, Office for Registration of Medicinal Products, Medical Devices, and Biocidal Products:
Jerozolimskie Avenue 181C, 02-222 Warsaw, tel.: 22 49-21-301, fax: 22 49-21-309, website: https://smz.ezdrowie.gov.pl .
Side effects can also be reported to the marketing authorization holder.
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 stated on the blister and carton after EXP. The expiry date refers to the last day of the month.
Store in a temperature below 25°C.
Medicines should not be disposed of via wastewater or household waste. Ask your pharmacist how to dispose of medicines no longer required. This will help protect the environment.
Ansifora, 50 mg
Round, light beige film-coated tablets, 8 mm in size, with "50" on one side.
Ansifora, 100 mg
Round, beige film-coated tablets, 10 mm in size, with "100" on one side.
Non-transparent blisters of PVC/PE/PVDC/Aluminum in a carton box. Packs of 14, 28, 30, 56, 84, 90, or 98 film-coated tablets.
Aluminum blisters of OPA/Aluminum/PVC/Aluminum in a carton box. Packs of 14, 28, 30, 56, 84, 90, or 98 film-coated tablets.
Not all pack sizes may be marketed.
Marketing authorization holder
Vipharm S.A.
A and F Radziwiłłów 9
05-850 Ożarów Mazowiecki
tel.: +48 22 679 51 35
fax: +48 22 678 92 87
e-mail: vipharm@vipharm.com.pl
Manufacturer
Vipharm S.A.
A and F Radziwiłłów 9
05-850 Ożarów Mazowiecki
Czech Republic
Ansifora
Hungary
Ansifora 50mg filmtabletta
Ansifora 100mg filmtabletta
Poland
Ansifora
Slovakia
Ansifora 50 mg
Ansifora 100 mg
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