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Drug Info

How much is glimepiride without insurance?

The generic version of Amaryl, glimepiride, costs about $22 per month without insurance, but most people pay less
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By | Jan. 13, 2025 Medically reviewed by Samantha Marr, DNP, APN, AGPCNP-BC, CCRN
A spilled prescription bottle with white pills: How much is glimepiride without insurance?

Key takeaways

  • Glimepiride is a prescription medication for Type 2 diabetes that helps manage blood glucose. It’s not for treating Type 1 diabetes.

  • Glimepiride is the generic version of Amaryl, so it’s typically more affordable than Amaryl.

  • Many insurance and Medicare plans will cover glimepiride, but it depends on the specific plan. Check your plan’s formulary to find out.

  • Without insurance, glimepiride’s average retail price is around $22 for 30, 2 mg tablets—a 30-day supply.

  • There are ways to save on glimepiride with or without insurance.

In this article:

Type 2 diabetes mellitus can throw blood sugar levels into flux on a daily basis. Glimepiride is one way to control it. It is a prescription medication classified as a sulfonylurea that helps lower blood sugar by stimulating insulin production in the pancreas. On average, glimepiride retails for around $22 for 30, 2 mg tablets without any help from insurance. And while that’s a fairly reasonable price, there are ways to pay less. 

Is there a generic for glimepiride?

Glimepiride is already a generic drug, and its brand-name counterpart is Amaryl. To be FDA-approved as a generic, a drug must be identical to its reference medication, functioning the same way and made with the same quality standards.

Glimepiride vs. Amaryl

According to research, both branded and generic glimepiride are effective in managing Type 2 diabetes. However, some studies have suggested that a small percentage of glimepiride generics might be less effective than brand-name versions. Still, in most cases, generic glimepiride should provide results similar to those of Amaryl.

Is glimepiride covered by insurance?

“Many insurers place generic versions of glimepiride on lower tiers of the formulary so that patients can get the drug easily,” says John Lowe, MD, a healthcare provider in private practice in Ogden, Utah. But coverage varies by plan. 

“Medicare beneficiaries usually have glimepiride coverage, but out-of-pocket patient expenses depend on the patient’s formulary and deductible phase structure,” Dr. Lowe says. The only way to know for sure is to check the plan’s formulary—a drug list that shows how each drug is covered. Formularies organize drugs into tiers, and lower tiers typically receive better coverage than higher ones, which contain brand-name or specialty drugs. Dr. Lowe says, “Glimepiride is, more often than not, in a generic tier and thus readily available at lower copayments.”

How much does glimepiride cost without insurance?

Glimepiride costs an average of $22 for 30, 2 mg oral tablets, which is typically a 30-day supply for the standard dosage of 1–2 mg per day. At that price, it’s around 73 cents per tablet and about $263 annually.

Keep in mind that drug prices fluctuate and vary by location. The dosage your healthcare provider prescribes can influence your out-of-pocket costs since 1 mg tablets might be less or more expensive than 2 mg tablets. 

Out-of-pocket costs might also depend on state legislation. “Policy changes—like initiatives at state levels to put a cap on the prices of insulin or initiating conversations around affordable diabetes drugs—also have an indirect bearing on the price of glimepiride,” Dr. Lowe says.

Healthcare providers prescribe various medications for Type 2 diabetes, and determining which is best for a patient involves examining their complete health history, medical conditions, and other medications they may be taking. Here’s a look at how glimepiride compares. 
Drug name Price without insurance of brand-name drug  SingleCare price Savings options
Glimepiride $22 for 30, 2 mg tablets $3 for 30, 2 mg tablets of generic glimepiride See latest prices
Amaryl (brand name glimepiride) $22 for 30, 2mg tablets $2.52 for 30, 2mg Tablets of generic glimepiride See latest prices
Metformin $170 for 60, 500 mg tablets $4 for 60, 500 mg tablets of generic metformin See latest prices
Glipizide $39 for 3, 60-tablet bottles $10 for 3, 60-tablet bottles of generic glipizide See latest prices
Trulicity (dulaglutide) $1,317 for 4, 0.5 mL of 1.5 mg/0.5 mL pens $745 per 4, 1.5 mg/0.5ml 0.5 mL pens of brand-name Trulicity See latest prices
Ozempic (semaglutide) $1,346 per 1, 3 mL of 2 mg/3 mL pen $810 for 1, 2 mg/3 mL pen of brand-name Ozempic See latest prices
Mounjaro (tirzepatide) $1,466 per 4, 0.5 mL of 5 mg/0.5 mL pens $872 for 4, 5 mg/0.5 mL pens of brand-name Mounjaro See latest prices
Victoza (liraglutide) $1,447 for 3, 3 mL of 18 mg/3 mL pens $234 for 1, 3 mL of 18 mg/3 mL pen of brand-name Victoza See latest prices
Precose (acarbose) $92 $17 for generic Precose See latest prices
Januvia (sitagliptin) $776 for 30 tablets  $285 for 30, 100 mg tablets See latest prices
Prescription drug prices often change. These are the most accurate medication prices at the time of publishing. The listed price without insurance references the price of brand-name drugs (unless otherwise specified). The listed SingleCare price references the price of generic drugs if available. Click the link under “Savings options” to see the latest drug prices.

How to get glimepiride without insurance

Glimepiride costs less than many Type 2 diabetes medications, but costs can add up over time. If you don’t have insurance that covers glimepiride, there are ways to make it more affordable. 

1. Use glimepiride coupons

SingleCare negotiates drug prices with pharmacies across the country to make medication more affordable. It’s free to sign up for a SingleCare prescription discount card, which you can show your pharmacist for instant savings. You can also use the SingleCare app or website to search for and compare drug prices at pharmacies near you. With a SingleCare coupon, you could pay about $3 instead of $22 for a one-month supply of glimepiride. 

2. Consider prescription drug assistance

There are programs available to help people with financial need pay for their prescription drugs. Perhaps the most widely known is Medicaid. Some states have their own assistance programs. Beyond that, nonprofit organizations like the Patient Advocate Foundation and the Patient Access Network Foundation may help.

3. Ask about a 90-day supply

A study from 2012 showed that 90-day prescriptions lead to greater savings than 30-day prescriptions, as well as greater adherence and persistence. Plus, going to the pharmacy every three months instead of every month means fewer copays. Ask your healthcare provider about prescribing a 90-day supply instead of a 30-day supply.

5. Compare prices

Whether it’s small independent pharmacies or national chains, each is able to set its own prices, and they can vary significantly depending on the area’s cost of living, drug availability, and more. So it might be worth checking with a few different local pharmacies to find the lowest price on glimepiride. You can use SingleCare’s drug lookup tool to search for your medication and compare prices near you. 

5. Ask your healthcare provider

Healthcare providers are some of the best sources for medication savings tips. They might know about local programs or resources, and their offices might even have special discounts for certain drugs. Even if they can’t personally provide savings, they can likely point patients in the right direction.