Istavel is used alone or together with other medicines (e.g. insulin, glimepiride, metformin, or pioglitazone) to treat high blood sugar levels caused by type 2 diabetes. Normally, after you eat, your pancreas releases insulin to help your body store excess sugar for later use. This process occurs during normal digestion of food. In patients with type 2 diabetes, your body does not work properly to store the excess sugar and the sugar remains in your blood. Chronic high blood sugar can lead to serious health problems in the future. Many people can control type 2 diabetes with diet alone or diet and exercise. Following a specially planned diet and exercising will always be important when you have diabetes, even when you are taking medicines. To work properly, the amount of Istavel you take must be balanced against the amount and type of food you eat and the amount of exercise you do. If you change your diet, your exercise, or both, you will want to test your blood sugar to find out if it is too low. Your doctor will teach you what to do if this happens. Istavel does not help patients who have insulin-dependent or type 1 diabetes, because they cannot produce insulin from their pancreas. Their blood sugar is best controlled with insulin Injections. Istavel is available only with your doctor's prescription.

Prolonged intake of Istavel 50 mg Tablet 7's may cause acute pancreatitis (swollen pancreas), and critical kidney problem. Increased risk of hypoglycaemia (low blood sugar level) can occur when Istavel 50 mg Tablet 7's is added to other anti-diabetic agents or insulin therapy. In this case, your doctor may adjust the dose of Istavel 50 mg Tablet 7's. Severe allergic reactions might occur in some patients taking Istavel 50 mg Tablet 7's like anaphylaxis, angioedema (swelling under the skin), and exfoliative skin conditions including Stevens-Johnson syndrome. Safety and efficacy of Istavel 50 mg Tablet 7's in children under 18 years have not been established, so it should not be given to them. Patient taking digoxin (a heart medicine) with Istavel 50 mg Tablet 7's should be closely monitored as severe drug interaction has been observed.