Alogliptin Side Effects

Medically reviewed by Drugs.com. Last updated on Jun 11, 2024.

Applies to alogliptin: oral tablet.

Precautions

It is very important that your doctor check your progress at regular visits, especially during the first few weeks that you take this medicine. Blood and urine tests may be needed to check for unwanted effects.

This medicine may cause serious allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis, angioedema, or certain skin conditions (eg, Stevens-Johnson syndrome), which can be life-threatening and require immediate medical attention. Call your doctor right away if you have blistering, peeling, or loosening of the skin, chest tightness, chills, cough, diarrhea, difficulty swallowing, dizziness, fast heartbeat, hives, itching, skin rash, joint or muscle pain, large, hive-like swelling on face, eyelids, lips, tongue, throat, hands, legs, feet, or sex organs, puffiness or swelling of the eyelids or around the eyes, face, lips, or tongue, red irritated eyes, red skin lesions, often with a purple center, sore throat, sores, ulcers, or white spots in the mouth or on the lips, or unusual tiredness or weakness while you are using this medicine.

Pancreatitis (swelling and inflammation of the pancreas) may occur while you are using this medicine. Check with your doctor right away if you have a sudden and severe stomach pain, chills, constipation, nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, fever, or lightheadedness.

Check with your doctor right away if you have chest pain or tightness, decreased urine output, dilated neck veins, extreme fatigue, irregular breathing, irregular heartbeat, swelling of the face, fingers, feet, or lower legs, trouble breathing, or weight gain. These may be signs of heart failure.

Check with your doctor right away if you have pain or tenderness in the upper stomach, pale stools, dark urine, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, or yellow eyes or skin. These could be symptoms of a serious liver problem.

This medicine may cause hypoglycemia (low blood sugar). This is more common when this medicine is taken together with certain medicines. Low blood sugar must be treated before it causes you to pass out (unconsciousness).. People feel different symptoms of low blood sugar. It is important that you learn which symptoms you usually have so you can treat it quickly. Some symptoms of low blood sugar include: behavior changes that are similar to being drunk, blurred vision, cold sweats, confusion, cool, pale skin, difficulty with thinking, drowsiness, excessive hunger, a fast heartbeat, headaches that continue, nausea, shakiness, slurred speech, or unusual tiredness or weakness. Talk to your doctor about how to treat low blood sugar..

Hyperglycemia (high blood sugar) may occur if you do not take enough or skip a dose of your medicine, overeat or do not follow your meal plan, have a fever or infection, or do not exercise as much as usual. High blood sugar can be very serious and must be treated right away. It is important that you learn which symptoms you have in order to treat it quickly. Talk to your doctor about the best way to treat high blood sugar.

It is very important to carefully follow any instructions from your health care team about:

• Alcohol—Drinking alcohol may cause severe low blood sugar. Discuss this with your health care team.
• Other medicines—Do not take other medicines unless they have been discussed with your doctor. This especially includes nonprescription medicines, such as aspirin, and medicines for appetite control, asthma, colds, cough, hay fever, or sinus problems.
• Counseling—Other family members need to learn how to prevent side effects or help with side effects if they occur. Also, patients with diabetes may need special counseling about the changes in the dosing of their diabetes medicine that might occur with lifestyle changes, such as changes in exercise or diet. Furthermore, counseling on contraception and pregnancy may be needed, because of the problems that can occur in patients with diabetes during pregnancy.
• Travel—Keep a recent prescription and your medical history with you. Be prepared for an emergency as you would normally. Make allowances for changing time zones and keep your meal times as close as possible to your usual meal times.
• In case of emergency—There may be a time when you need emergency help for a problem caused by your diabetes. You need to be prepared for these emergencies. It is a good idea to wear a medical identification (ID) bracelet or neck chain at all times. Also, carry an ID card in your wallet or purse that says you have diabetes and that lists all of your medicines.

This medicine may cause severe and disabling joint pain. Call your doctor right away if you have severe joint pain while using this medicine.

This medicine may cause bullous pemphigoid. Tell your doctor right away if you have large, hard skin blisters while you are using this medicine.

Do not take other medicines unless they have been discussed with your doctor. This includes prescription or nonprescription (over-the-counter [OTC]) medicines and herbal or vitamin supplements.

Serious side effects of alogliptin

Along with its needed effects, alogliptin may cause some unwanted effects. Although not all of these side effects may occur, if they do occur they may need medical attention.

Check with your doctor immediately if any of the following side effects occur while taking alogliptin:

Other side effects of alogliptin

Some side effects of alogliptin may occur that usually do not need medical attention. These side effects may go away during treatment as your body adjusts to the medicine. Also, your health care professional may be able to tell you about ways to prevent or reduce some of these side effects.

Check with your health care professional if any of the following side effects continue or are bothersome or if you have any questions about them:

For healthcare professionals

Applies to alogliptin: oral tablet.

General adverse events

The most frequently reported side effects included nasopharyngitis, headache, and upper respiratory tract infection.^[Ref]

Gastrointestinal

• Common (1% to 10%): Abdominal pain, gastroesophageal reflux disease
• Uncommon (0.1% to 1%): Pancreatitis
• Postmarketing reports: Acute pancreatitis, diarrhea, constipation, nausea, ileus^[Ref]

During clinical trials, acute pancreatitis was reported in 6 (0.2%) patients receiving 25 mg and 2 patients (less than 0.1%) who were treated with active comparators or placebo. In a cardiovascular outcome trial of patient with high cardiovascular risk, acute pancreatitis was reported in 10 patients receiving this drug and 7 patients receiving placebo (0.4% vs 0.3%).^[Ref]

Musculoskeletal

• Frequency not reported: Arthralgia^[Ref]

Between October 2006 and December 2013, thirty-three cases of severe arthralgia have been reported to the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System Database. Each case involved the use of 1 or more dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitor. In all cases, substantial reduction in prior activity level was reported, 10 patients were hospitalized due to disabling joint pain. In 22 cases, symptoms appeared within 1 month of starting therapy, in 23 cases symptoms resolved less than 1 month after discontinuation. A positive rechallenge was reported in 8 cases, with 6 cases involving use of a different DPP-4 inhibitor. Sitagliptin had the greatest number of cases reported (n=28) followed by saxagliptin (n=5), linagliptin (n=2), alogliptin (n=1), and vildagliptin (n=2).^[Ref]

Hepatic

• Postmarketing reports: Hepatic enzyme elevations, fulminant hepatic failure^[Ref]

Hypersensitivity

• Uncommon (0.1% to 1%): Hypersensitivity reactions (0.6%)
• Postmarketing reports: Anaphylaxis, angioedema, rash, urticaria, severe cutaneous adverse reactions (Stevens-Johnson syndrome)^[Ref]

Nervous system

• Common (1% to 10%): Headache^[Ref]

Respiratory

• Common (1% to 10%): Nasopharyngitis, upper respiratory tract infection^[Ref]

Dermatologic

• Common (1% to 10%): Pruritus, rash
• Postmarketing reports: Exfoliative skin conditions including Stevens-Johnson syndrome, erythema multiforme, angioedema, urticaria

Dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors:

• Postmarketing reports: Bullous pemphigoid^[Ref]

Postmarketing reports of bullous pemphigoid requiring hospitalization have been reported with dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors use. These case typically recovered with topical or systemic immunosuppressive treatment and discontinuation of DPP-4 inhibitor.^[Ref]

Metabolic

• Common (1% to 10%): Hypoglycemia

Based on a pooled analysis the hypoglycemic risk of this drug was considered neutral.

Cardiovascular

• Frequency not reported: Heart failure^[Ref]

In a clinical trial in patients with recent acute coronary syndrome, a greater proportion of patients receiving this drug were hospitalized for congestive heart failure compared with placebo (3.9% [n=106] vs 3.3% [n=89]),^[Ref]

See also:

Further information

Alogliptin side effects can vary depending on the individual. Always consult your healthcare provider to ensure the information displayed on this page applies to your personal circumstances.

Note: Medication side effects may be underreported. If you are experiencing side effects that are not listed, submit a report to the FDA by following this guide.

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