Glipizide and Gliclazide are not the same drug. Glipizide is an older sulphonylurea drug that is only available in USA now under the name of Glucatrol. Of the two it seems Glipizide is more likely to cause hypos on an empty stomach than Gliclazide which is an updated and more modern drug. I use Gliclazide myself, and yes I get low bgl readings, but rarely in the hypo range (<3.9 mmol/l). As suggested in a previous response, reducing the dose is easy to do without withdrawal, and may be necessary as your diet takes over control and you lose weight. Keep your GP informed as you go.
Which drug are you actually prescribed, and at what dosage? I started on 320 mg a day, and have now dropped down to 40 mg a day. I did not have any hypo that incapacitated me in the past 6 years that I have been on it. I have never needed assistance.
Edit to add: The two drugs differ in how they work. Gliclazide (UK) boosts insulin production while there is a demand for it by carbohydrate intake, but Glipizide is not so intelligent and squeezes the pancreas regardless of whether there is anything for it to act upon. The UK one is, therefore, self-regulating to a certain extent, and my experiments show that I do not see any drop in bgl just from taking the medication, but it drops significantly when I eat food.
