Prescribed to treat type 2 diabetes, glimepiride (brand name Amaryl) is of the sulfonylureas class of anti-diabetes medicines. It is long-acting and lowers blood sugar levels by stimulating insulin production in the pancreas and increasing activity of the intracellular insulin receptors. For this reason, it is not for use by type 1 diabetics, as there must be at least some insulin production for the drug to work. Reports about the effectiveness of this drug for diabetes, glimepiride, are generally positive, though many say that it works “too well,” and there is the danger of blood sugar going too low, which may require more frequent meals and very close monitoring. However, there are other sufonylureas that have even greater risk of hypoglycemia than glimepiride – for example, glyburide.

Glimepiride and Diabetes: Weighing the Risks Against the Benefits

The list of side effects of this oral medication for diabetes, glimepiride, …