Glyburide (Micronase, Glynase, and others)

How Medicare covers it

Part D (forms used at home). Part A during a covered inpatient stay. No Part B clinician-administered form in the CMS Part B spending file.

What it treats

Glyburide tablets are used, along with diet and exercise, to improve blood sugar control in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

What it is for, in depth

Glyburide is a longstanding oral option for adults with type 2 diabetes who still make some of their own insulin, used as an add-on to diet and exercise and dosed to the minimum effective level for each patient. Some people who respond at first become less responsive over time, while others who stopped responding to a different sulfonylurea may still respond to glyburide; combining glyburide with metformin may give an added benefit because the two improve glucose tolerance in different ways. The tablets come in 1.25 mg, 2.5 mg, and 5 mg strengths. If blood sugar is not adequately lowered even at the maximum recommended dose, that is considered primary failure and the treatment plan needs to change.

How it works

Glyburide is a sulfonylurea, a type of diabetes pill that lowers blood sugar mainly by making the pancreas release more insulin. This works only if the pancreas still has working beta cells that can produce insulin.

How it is taken

The tablets are taken by mouth, and there is no single fixed dosing schedule; your clinician sets the dose and adjusts it based on regular blood glucose monitoring to find the lowest dose that works. Blood sugar should be checked periodically, and glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels may also be used to judge response. Short-term use may be enough during temporary periods when blood sugar control slips in someone usually controlled on diet alone.

Common side effects

The most common reactions in clinical trials were stomach problems such as nausea, a feeling of fullness in the upper stomach, and heartburn, which occurred in 1.8% of treated patients and tend to depend on the dose. Allergic skin reactions such as itching, redness, hives, and rash occurred in 1.5% of patients. Low blood sugar is also a known risk with this medicine.

Serious warnings

Rarely, glyburide has been linked to cholestatic jaundice and hepatitis, which may progress to liver failure; the drug should be stopped if this occurs. Serious blood problems, including low white cell, red cell, and platelet counts and aplastic anemia, have been reported with sulfonylurea drugs. Low blood sodium and the syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone (SIADH) secretion have also been reported, and alcohol-like (disulfiram) reactions have occurred very rarely. Blurred vision or changes in focusing can occur when blood sugar levels swing.

Who should be careful

Do not take glyburide if you are allergic to it, if you have type 1 diabetes, if you have diabetic ketoacidosis (which should be treated with insulin), or if you take bosentan. It is not recommended during pregnancy or for children. Older adults and people who are debilitated, malnourished, or have impaired kidney or liver function should use conservative starting and maintenance doses to avoid low blood sugar reactions.

Major interactions

Many drugs make glyburide stronger and raise the risk of low blood sugar, including non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents, salicylates, sulfonamides, chloramphenicol, probenecid, coumarins, monoamine oxidase inhibitors, and beta adrenergic blocking agents; the antibiotic ciprofloxacin and oral miconazole have also been reported to trigger severe low blood sugar. Other drugs can raise blood sugar and reduce control, including thiazides and other diuretics, corticosteroids, phenothiazines, thyroid products, estrogens, oral contraceptives, phenytoin, nicotinic acid, sympathomimetics, calcium channel blocking drugs, and isoniazid. Glyburide must never be taken together with bosentan because the combination raises liver enzymes.

Cost and saving notes

Glyburide is covered under Medicare Part D. If your plan's tier makes it hard to afford, you can ask your plan for a tier exception to pay a lower tier price. If you qualify for Extra Help, the Part D low-income help, your drug costs will be much lower.

Why it is in its tier

Glyburide (Micronase, Glynase, and others) sits on Tier 1 in 47.09% of the plans that list it (582 of 1236 listing plans). Tier 1 is the preferred generic tier — the lowest copays, often $0-$15. The data-visible drivers: It is a generic product, and the CMS dashboard puts its average Part D spending at about $51.36 per beneficiary for 2024 — a relatively low-cost drug, which matches where plans place it. Only 22.49% of Part D plans list it at all, so many readers will find their plan does not list it and covers a similar drug instead. The tier shown is the most common one; individual plans vary.

Sources

• GLYBURIDE TABLET [TEVA PHARMACEUTICALS USA, INC.] — DailyMed
• MedlinePlus — National Library of Medicine
• MedlinePlus — Glyburide

What official patient guides say

Glyburide comes as a tablet to take by mouth (the oral tablet form in this package). It is usually taken once a day with breakfast or the first main meal of the day; however, in some cases your doctor may tell you to take glyburide twice a day. To help you remember to take glyburide, take it at around the same time(s) every day. Take glyburide exactly as directed — do not take more or less of it or take it more often than prescribed by your doctor. Your doctor will probably start you on a low dose of glyburide and gradually increase your dose if needed. Glyburide helps control blood sugar but does not cure diabetes. Continue to take glyburide even if you feel well, and do not stop taking glyburide without talking to your doctor. If you forget a dose: before you start to take glyburide, ask your doctor what you should do if you forget to take a dose, and write these directions down so that you can refer to them later. As a general rule, take the missed dose as soon as you remember it. If it is almost time for the next dose, skip the missed dose and continue your regular dosing schedule. Do not take a double dose to make up for a missed one. Keep this medication in the container it came in, tightly closed, and out of reach of children. Store it at room temperature and away from excess heat and moisture (not in the bathroom).

Source: MedlinePlus — Glyburide

Part D formulary coverage

Source: CMS Prescription Drug Plan Formulary, Pharmacy Network, and Pricing Information Files — Monthly file 2026-10-15 (plan year 2027), file 2027_20261008.zip (data.cms.gov dataset ed1496ea-23e7-41f1-9292-172fa842ccfb): basic drugs formulary file + plan information file, both dated 20261031 inside the zip; downloaded and aggregated 2026-10-30. Medication RxCUI sets resolved through the NLM RxNav (RxNorm) API.

What you pay

Without insurance, the cash benchmark is 0.06049 per unit (GLYBURIDE 1.25 MG TABLET) — about nan for 30 units. NADAC benchmark — the average price pharmacies pay (CMS, as of 2026-11-04). Pharmacy shelf prices vary.

A tier is not a price; what you pay depends on your plan, pharmacy, and benefit stage; Extra Help or Medicaid can lower it further.

Sources: CMS Plan Benefit Package + formulary data; CMS NADAC · Checked 2026-11-08

Coverage by plan and tier

Of the 5,495 Medicare drug plans we track for 2027, 1,236 list Glyburide (Micronase, Glynase, and others) — 22.5% of plans. Most of those plans put it on Tier 1: 582 plans, 47.1% of the plans that list it. Other plans place it on Tier 2 (375 plans), Tier 6 (253 plans) or Tier 3 (21 plans). For example: CalOptima Health OneCare Complete (HMO D-SNP) puts it on Tier 1; Univera SeniorChoice Secure (HMO-POS) puts it on Tier 3; Medicare Blue Choice Optimum (HMO-POS) puts it on Tier 3. You can compare these plans side by side on our Medicare Advantage hub. A tier is not a price. What you pay also depends on whether you have met your plan';s deductible, whether the drug costs a flat copay or a share of the price, and whether you get Extra Help or Medicaid.

Read next

• Part D in 2027: The $700 Deductible, the $2,400 Cap, and the $35 Insulin Rule
• Extra Help in 2027: Lower Drug Copays and Who Qualifies
• Checking Medicare Savings Programs and Extra Help

Part D spending averages (2024)

Source: CMS Medicare Part D Spending by Drug (Drug Spending Dashboard), release RY26 P04 V10, data through 2024 (DSD_PTD_RY26_P04_V10_DY24_BGM.csv), downloaded 2026-10-30

Companies covering this drug

Part D and Medicare Advantage plan sponsors that list this drug on a formulary, 50 at a time.