Glipizide (Glucotrol XL): Label Dosing and Half-Life
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Glipizide: extended-release tablets, label dosing and half-life

Tablet strengths · Approval status · Half-life 2 to 5 hours

Short answer: Glipizide has a half-life of 2 to 5 hours. Levels peak 6 to 12 hours (Glucotrol XL) after a dose. People vary, so treat these as estimates.

What is glipizide?

Glipizide is a sulfonylurea, a diabetes pill that makes the pancreas release more insulin. It is sold as Glucotrol XL, an extended-release tablet taken once a day, and as immediate-release Glucotrol and generics. This page uses the Glucotrol XL label.

Also known as: Glucotrol XL, Glucotrol, glipizide ER.

Tablet strengths

Glucotrol XL comes as 2.5 mg, 5 mg and 10 mg extended-release tablets. Each releases glipizide slowly over 24 hours from a shell that does not dissolve, so the empty shell may be seen in the stool. It is swallowed whole, not split, chewed or crushed.

Approval status and how it is used

The Glucotrol XL label approves glipizide, with diet and exercise, to improve blood sugar control in adults with type 2 diabetes; it is not recommended for type 1 diabetes or diabetic ketoacidosis. Label dosing: start at 5 mg once a day with breakfast or the first main meal (2.5 mg for people at higher risk of low blood sugar, such as older people or those with liver problems), adjusted by blood sugar control up to a maximum of 20 mg once a day.

The label has no boxed warning. Warnings cover low blood sugar, hemolytic anemia in people with G6PD deficiency, the sulfonylurea class warning on heart-related deaths, and bowel blockage in people with severe narrowing of the gut. It is not used with an allergy to glipizide or sulfonamide derivatives. In placebo-controlled trials, the most common side effects were dizziness (6.8% vs 5.8%), diarrhea (5.4% vs 0%), nervousness, tremor and gas; 3.4% of 580 people had low blood sugar. See Glucotrol XL side effects, Glucotrol XL dosing schedule, how to store Glucotrol XL and glimepiride vs glipizide.

Glipizide half-life and time to peak

  • Half-life2 to 5 hours
  • Time to peak (Tmax)6 to 12 hours (Glucotrol XL)

The Glucotrol XL label says levels start to rise 2 to 3 hours after a dose and peak within 6 to 12 hours, staying fairly even over the 24-hour dosing interval; steady state takes about 5 days. All of the dose is absorbed. The mean elimination half-life of glipizide ranged from 2 to 5 hours. It is broken down mainly in the liver.

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

How to track glipizide in Dose Track

  1. Add glipizide 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

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Frequently asked questions

What is the half-life of glipizide?+
The Glucotrol XL label says levels start to rise 2 to 3 hours after a dose and peak within 6 to 12 hours, staying fairly even over the 24-hour dosing interval; steady state takes about 5 days. All of the dose is absorbed. The mean elimination half-life of glipizide ranged from 2 to 5 hours. It is broken down mainly in the liver.
Why is there a tablet in my stool on Glucotrol XL?+
The Glucotrol XL label says the tablet's outer shell does not dissolve; the medicine is released slowly and the empty shell passes in the stool.
What is the maximum dose of Glucotrol XL?+
The label gives a maximum of 20 mg once a day.
Can I track glipizide in Dose Track?+
Yes. Glipizide 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. Glucotrol XL (glipizide) extended-release tablets prescribing information (Roerig/Pfizer), sections 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 12.3. DailyMed, July 2026.

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