Trulicity and Januvia: Is It Safe? Label, Studies
Usually not combined: a DPP-4 pill like Januvia adds no extra sugar lowering on a GLP-1.
- Verdict
- Avoid together
- Label names it
- No
- General caution
- Pills absorbed more slowly
Check a GLP-1 interaction
Trulicity facts at a glance
Half-life about 5 days: after 5 d, half is gone, and about 3% remains after five half-lives (25 d).
Sources: FDA label (DailyMed).
Trulicity and Januvia: the verdict
Avoid together
The Trulicity label’s drug interactions section states the following word for word:
“TRULICITY delays gastric emptying and thus has the potential to reduce the rate of absorption of concomitantly administered oral medications. The delay in gastric emptying”
The FDA label (DailyMed) is the source.
Details from the Trulicity label
Januvia (sitagliptin) is not identified in the Trulicity label. The lines listed here still apply to it.
| Named in the label | The risk | What the label tells doctors |
|---|---|---|
| Insulin or sulfonylureas | Low blood sugar | Your risk of low blood sugar rises when this medicine is used with insulin or with a sulfonylurea such as glipizide or glimepiride. Your doctor may reduce the doses. |
| Oral medicines | Pills absorbed differently | This medicine makes your stomach empty more slowly, which can affect how other pills are absorbed. |
Source: Trulicity label (DailyMed).
What the studies show
- not recommended guideline
- how Januvia works and increases active GLP-1:
Sources: diabetesjournals.org, FDA label (DailyMed).
The practical rule
- If both medicines are on your list, ask your prescriber whether you still need the Januvia.
- Tell the person who prescribes your GLP-1 about every pill you take, including this one.
- Ask your pharmacist which pills you take need a fixed blood level. A check of those may be needed when you start treatment or raise the amount you take.
- In the first weeks, and after each dose increase, test your blood sugar more often.
The FDA label (DailyMed) is the source.
Januvia with other GLP-1s
None of the 10 GLP-1 labels lists Januvia (sitagliptin) in its drug interaction section. All of them share one general warning about pills you swallow, so the answer stays the same across this group.
The same question applies as well to Ozempic, Rybelsus.
The FDA label (DailyMed) is the source.