What is Starlix? How to Treat with Generic Nateglinide.

Generic Starlix (Nateglinide 120 mg) Medication guide:

More facts about Generic Starlix (Nateglinide 120 mg):

What is the medication you can buy as Starlix?

The brand name Starlix is owned by the Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis that first bought the right to use Nateglinide active ingredient in the production of antidiabetic medication. The substance itself was developed by a Japanese pharmaceutical company Ajinomoto. Currently, since the patent for the exclusive use of the formula expired, it is also produced by other companies and sold under such names as Fastic, Starsis, and many others. You can buy Generic Starlix when your healthcare provider appoints you the therapy with the branded medication as the same medication made by other producers and marketed without promotion is cheaper.

The medication sold as Starlix and other medical products with Nateglinide as the main ingredient are amino-acid derivatives that diminish the blood sugar levels by the promotion of insulin formation in the pancreas. This action depends on the functional state of the beta-cells of the pancreas. The medication interacts with ATP-responsive potassium channels of the pancreatic cells. Subsequent depolarization of beta-cell membranes opens the calcium channels, causing calcium inflow and insulin production. The volume of released insulin depends on the level of blood sugar and at a low level, it decreases. Nateglinide has high tissue selectivity and low affinity for myocardial and skeletal muscle cells.

The active substance of the medication is quickly absorbed and the insulin stimulation effect occurs within only twenty minutes after the recommended dosage intake. The sharp increase of insulin level in the blood plasma with the peak concentration occurs within an hour after the pill intake. Then it falls down till the normal level within four hours after the dose intake if the medication is taken three times a day before meals.

The medication is quickly absorbed and its max concentration in the blood is achieved within one hour after the intake. The bioavailability of the medication is around 73%. It means that 73% of the take dosage is active in the body.
The medication and its metabolites are quickly and completely washed out of the body within six hours: 83% of it is excreted in urine, 17% is excreted in bile and feces.

Although the medication is very effective and safe when used in accordance to your doctor’s indications, you still need to follow a special low-calorie diet and do adequate exercises to enjoy the optimal effect of the treatment. Moreover, the medication is never prescribed before the curative diet and exercising routine were followed for at least six months without significant improvement of the condition.

Is it possible to replace the branded medication with a generic version?

It is absolutely possible to purchase a generic version of the medication when your healthcare provider tells you to buy Starlix for the therapy course. However, you should make sure that you are getting the right medication. How should you know that? First of all, the packages of the pills always have the active substance name below the trade mark name. In the case with Generic Starlix, this name should be Nateglinide. Besides, you need also to verify that the dosage per pill of the active substance corresponds to your prescription.

Many people prefer generic medicines over the branded ones for one simple reason – they are cheaper. Those who have already used generics know that it is not an indicator of a low quality but rather a fair price for the medication and the branded medicines are simply overpriced for no reason. Well, there is a reason they are overpriced, to promote their medications, large pharmaceutical companies pay doctors kickbacks to ensure that they prescribe namely their products. But you are not obliged to play in these games. It is especially convenient to purchase generics from the online drugstores like ours as we sell the medications that are Rx-only in the U.S. and some other countries over-the-counter. It is a legal practice since we are located in the country where these meds can be bought without prescriptions. This way you can save not only on the pills themselves but also the refill prescriptions.

When is the therapy with Starlix appointed?

The medication is appointed for the monotherapy of diabetes type 2 in people for whom a special diet and exercising are not enough to lower the blood sugar to the normal level and who hadn’t undergone the treatment with other hypoglycemic medications for long periods of time.

A doctor can prescribe a patient to buy Nateglinide to use it along with Metformin if Metformin alone doesn’t provide sufficient blood sugar reduction. However, it is not recommended to replace the first-line medications with Nateglinide but rather use it as an additional aid.

When is the therapy with Starlix contraindicated to be undergone?

The therapy with the medication is contraindicated for people with diabetes of the first type, people with diabetes type II who are allergic to the medication and diabetic ketoacidosis (in this case, treatment with insulin is indicated).
On top of that, the preparation is also not advised to be used by children, pregnant women, in patients older than 65 years of age, and in people with moderate or severe liver dysfunction.

Although the medication can be sometimes included in the therapy with Metformin, it should not be used along with any medications that enhance the production of insulin such as Glyburide and others.

How to use Starlix or a generic version of the drug?

The prescribed dosage should be taken either right before a meal or thirty minutes before a meal. The pills are taken only before the main meals of the day. The recommended dosage for the monotherapy with the medication, i.e. if you don’t use any other medicines for diabetes, is 120-180 mg taken three times a day. In combined therapy, the recommended dosages are 60-120 mg three times a day.

It is advised to start the therapy with the minimum dosage and raise it only if your doctor approves it based on the tests.

Please note that if you skip any meal, you don’t need to take the pills. They are taken only to prevent the blood sugar sharp increase after you had food.

Please buy Generic Nateglinide only if your doctor prescribed you the medication and gave you precise guidelines on how to use the pills in your particular case.

What drugs are contraindicated to be combined with Nateglinide?

It is important to discuss with your healthcare provider the possibility of using any medicines with this antidiabetic drug as if you already use any medications, you may need a dosage adjustment.

For instance, some nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medicines, salicylates, MAO inhibitors and nonselective beta-blockers can enhance the hypoglycemic effect of nateglinide and other hypoglycemic agents.

Some medications, for instance, some types of diuretics, corticosteroids, thyroid hormone analogs, sympathomimetics, and others can diminish the blood-sugar-lowering action of Nateglinide and other oral hypoglycemic agents. When these drugs are prescribed or canceled in a patient receiving Nateglinide, it is necessary to monitor the level of glycemia.

Overdose detection and treatment

There have been no cases of overdose of Nateglinide in clinical studies. However, taking doses that exceed the recommended ones can lead to an excessive glucose-lowering effect with the development of symptoms of hypoglycemia.

Symptoms of hypoglycemia, not accompanied by loss of consciousness and neurological disorders, are stopped by oral glucose intake, reduced dose and/or intake of food. Severe hypoglycemic reactions with coma, convulsions or other neurologic symptoms should be cured in an emergency care unit with the administration of glucose and other symptomatic treatment as well as constant monitoring of a patient’s condition. Since Nateglinide binds strongly to proteins, dialysis is ineffective to remove it from the blood.

Precautions while using Nateglinide

The main danger when taking any medications intended to lower the blood sugar is the risk of hypoglycemia development, i.e. the drop of the glucose level below the norm and possibly falling into a coma. The risk of this condition depends on the severity of diabetes, control of glycemia, and other particularities of a patient. People of elderly age, poorly eating patients, people with adrenal or pituitary insufficiency are most prone to the hypoglycemic effect of this therapy. The risk of hypoglycemia onset rises with strong physical exertion, alcohol intake, inadequate intake of calories (prolonged or accidental), or when combined with other oral hypoglycemic agents.

It can be hard to detect hypoglycemia in people with autonomic (visceral) neuropathy and/or with the use of beta-blockers. Therefore, if you suffer from this condition or take these medicines, you need to render caution when you order Starlix and start the therapy.

In order to lower the risk of hypoglycemia, the medication is appointed to be taken before the food intake. If you miss a food intake, skip the dosage of the medication.

Adverse effects of Starlix

All medications can cause certain negative effects. This particular drug causes the side effects occurrence in less than 3% of people who use it. The reported symptoms are dizziness, upper airways infection, bronchitis, cough, diarrhea, hypoglycemia, arthropathy (joints disease), accidental trauma, pain in the spine, and flu-like symptoms.

If you experience any of these or any other negative symptoms and believe that they are caused by the medication use, make sure to inform your doctor immediately.

Where to buy Starlix?

The branded medication at a high price is available at the regular drugstores but if you want to save, you can order Generic Starlix from our online pharmacy and enjoy the same effect at the lower price. We sell it over-the-counter so you can as well save your money on the visits to your healthcare provider for a refill prescription.

Shipping terms of Generic Starlix

If you order the pills for 170 USD or more, we will ship your parcel for free. Otherwise, you have two options – standard cheap delivery and a bit more expensive express shipping.