Q: I am a 55 years old man taking Copamide daily for the last 20 years. Now I am unable to find the tablets in the market. Is there an alternative for Copamide?

A:Copamide is the brand name; the name of the drug is chlorpropamide. It was also sold under the brand name of Diabenese. It belongs to a class of medicines called sulfonylureas. Much better, safer and more effective anti-diabetic drugs belonging to the same class such as glibenclamide, gliclazide, etc. have been developed. Most countries have stopped producing chlorpropamide since some of the side effects such as anti-diuretic action were quite serious. Why search for chlorpropamide? You can be easily put on another agent. Consult your treating doctor.