Glimepiride (Amaryl): Label Dosing and Half-Life
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Glimepiride: tablet strengths, label dosing and half-life

Tablet strengths · Approval status · Half-life ~5.3 hours (adult mean)

Short answer: Glimepiride has a half-life of about 5.3 hours (adult mean). Levels peak 2 to 3 hours after a dose. People vary, so treat these as estimates.

What is glimepiride?

Glimepiride is a sulfonylurea, a diabetes pill that makes the pancreas release more insulin. It is taken once a day for type 2 diabetes. The original brand is Amaryl; generic glimepiride tablets are sold today.

Also known as: Amaryl.

Tablet strengths

Glimepiride comes as 1 mg, 2 mg and 4 mg tablets. This page uses a current generic label because Amaryl has no current label on DailyMed.

Approval status and how it is used

The glimepiride label approves it, with diet and exercise, to improve blood sugar control in adults with type 2 diabetes; it is not for type 1 diabetes or diabetic ketoacidosis. Label dosing: start at 1 mg or 2 mg once a day with breakfast or the first main meal (1 mg for people at higher risk of low blood sugar, such as older people or those with kidney problems). After 2 mg a day, the dose may go up by 1 or 2 mg no more often than every 1 to 2 weeks, to a maximum of 8 mg once a day.

The label has no boxed warning. Low blood sugar is the main risk: in one 22-week trial, possible low blood sugar was reported by 19.7% on glimepiride vs 3.2% on placebo. Other warnings are serious allergic reactions, hemolytic anemia in people with G6PD deficiency, and a class warning that an older study found more heart-related deaths with the sulfonylurea tolbutamide. It is not used with an allergy to glimepiride or sulfonamide derivatives. It can also cause weight gain. See glimepiride side effects, glimepiride dosing schedule, missed glimepiride dose, how to store glimepiride and glimepiride vs glipizide.

Glimepiride half-life and time to peak

  • Half-lifeabout 5.3 hours (adult mean)
  • Time to peak (Tmax)2 to 3 hours

The glimepiride label says peak levels come 2 to 3 hours after a dose, food lowers peak and total exposure by only 8% to 9%, and it does not build up with daily dosing. The label gives the adult half-life only as historical data in its children's study: a mean of 5.3 hours (plus or minus 4.1), compared with 3.1 hours in children 10 to 17. It is fully broken down in the liver, mainly by CYP2C9.

Numbers shown are taken from the source above. Half-life varies from person to person.

How to track glimepiride in Dose Track

  1. Add glimepiride as a custom compound. Start typing its name and Dose Track fills in the details from its research library for you to check, and it sits next to everything else you take.
  2. Log each tablet when you take it, including split or fractional tablets, so your history shows exactly what you took and when.
  3. Set reminders on your own schedule, whether that is daily, weekly or every few days.
  4. Your log is stored on your phone and no account is needed. Data only leaves it for features you choose, like AI answers and lab reading.

How Dose Track handles peptides · Reconstitution calculator · Half-life calculator

GlipizideGlucotrol XL, Glucotrol · half-life 2 to 5 hours MetforminGlucophage · half-life about 6.2 hours RepaglinidePrandin · half-life about 1 hour PioglitazoneActos · half-life about 3 to 7 hours (active metabolites 16 to 24 hours)

Frequently asked questions

What is the half-life of glimepiride?+
The glimepiride label says peak levels come 2 to 3 hours after a dose, food lowers peak and total exposure by only 8% to 9%, and it does not build up with daily dosing. The label gives the adult half-life only as historical data in its children's study: a mean of 5.3 hours (plus or minus 4.1), compared with 3.1 hours in children 10 to 17. It is fully broken down in the liver, mainly by CYP2C9.
What is the maximum dose of glimepiride?+
The glimepiride label gives a maximum of 8 mg once a day, reached in steps of 1 or 2 mg no more often than every 1 to 2 weeks.
When is glimepiride taken?+
Once a day with breakfast or the first main meal of the day, per the label.
Can I track glimepiride in Dose Track?+
Yes. Glimepiride is in Dose Track's research library, so when you add it as a custom compound its details are filled in for you to check. You can then log each tablet next to your other compounds, set reminders on your own schedule, and see your history next to your lab results. Your log is stored on your phone and no account is needed. Data only leaves it for features you choose, like AI answers and lab reading.

Sources

  1. Glimepiride tablets USP prescribing information (Aurobindo), sections 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 12.3. DailyMed, April 2026.

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