Glucobay (Acarbose)

Glucobay is Zydus Cadila's acarbose tablet, in a strip of 10 tablets. Acarbose is a tablet that slows the digestion of starch, used to lower blood sugar after meals in type 2 diabetes.

Acarbose is prescribed for type 2 diabetes alongside diet and exercise, alone or with other diabetes medicines. It is also used in some countries for prediabetes.

Acarbose blocks alpha-glucosidase, the enzymes in the gut that break complex carbohydrates into glucose. Glucose then enters the blood more slowly, so the post-meal rise in blood sugar is lower. It is not absorbed into the body in a meaningful way.

It is taken with the first bite of each main meal, three times a day. The usual start is 25 mg, raised slowly over weeks to 50 mg or 100 mg per meal as tolerated. If a dose is missed, skip it rather than take it after the meal. Follow your prescription.

• Wind, bloating, stomach cramps and loose stools, which are common and usually ease over time.n- Rarely, a rise in liver enzymes.n- Low blood sugar can occur if it is combined with insulin or sulfonylureas, and it must then be treated with glucose (dextrose), not table sugar, because acarbose blocks sugar digestion.

Not for people with inflammatory bowel disease, bowel obstruction, severe kidney or liver disease, or digestive disorders. Keep glucose tablets to hand if you also use insulin or a sulfonylurea. Liver tests are done during long treatment.