Tolbutamide
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Questions & Answers
Side Effects & Adverse Reactions
The administration of oral hypoglycemic drugs has been reported to be associated with increased cardiovascular mortality as compared to treatment with diet alone or diet plus insulin. This warning is based on the study conducted by the University Group Diabetes Program (UGDP), a long-term prospective clinical trial designed to evaluate the effectiveness of glucose-lowering drugs in preventing or delaying vascular complications in patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes. The study involved 823 patients who were randomly assigned to one of four treatment groups (Diabetes, 19 (supp.2):747-830, 1970).
UGDP reported that patients treated for 5 to 8 years with diet plus a fixed dose of tolbutamide (1.5 grams per day) had a rate of cardiovascular mortality approximately 2½ times that of patients treated with diet alone. A significant increase in total mortality was not observed, but the use of tolbutamide was discontinued based on the increase in cardiovascular mortality, thus limiting the opportunity for the study to show an increase in overall mortality. Despite controversy regarding the interpretation of these results, the findings of the UGDP study provide an adequate basis for this warning. The patient should be informed of the potential risks and advantages of tolbutamide and of alternative modes of therapy. Although only one drug in the sulfonylurea class (tolbutamide) was included in this study, it is prudent from a safety standpoint to consider that this warning may also apply to other oral hypoglycemic drugs in this class, in view of their close similarities in mode of action and chemical structure.
Legal Issues
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FDA Safety Alerts
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Manufacturer Warnings
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FDA Labeling Changes
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Uses
Tolbutamide tablets are indicated as an adjunct to diet to lower the blood glucose in patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (type II) whose hyperglycemia cannot be controlled by diet alone.
In initiating treatment for non-insulin-dependent diabetes, diet should be emphasized as the primary form of treatment. Caloric restriction and weight loss are essential in the obese diabetic patient. Proper dietary management alone may be effective in controlling the blood glucose and symptoms of hyperglycemia. The importance of regular physical activity should also be stressed, and cardiovascular risk factors should be identified and corrective measures taken where possible.
If this treatment program fails to reduce symptoms and/or blood glucose, the use of an oral sulfonylurea or insulin should be considered. Use of tolbutamide tablets must be viewed by both the physician and patient as a treatment in addition to diet, and not as a substitute for diet or as a convenient mechanism for avoiding dietary restraint. Furthermore, loss of blood glucose control on diet alone may be transient, thus requiring only short-term administration of tolbutamide tablets.
During maintenance programs, tolbutamide tablets should be discontinued if satisfactory lowering of blood glucose is no longer achieved. Judgments should be based on regular clinical and laboratory evaluations.
In considering the use of tolbutamide tablets in asymptomatic patients, it should be recognized that controlling the blood glucose in non-insulin dependent diabetes has not been definitely established to be effective in preventing the long-term cardiovascular or neural complications of diabetes.
History
There is currently no drug history available for this drug.
Other Information
Tolbutamide is an oral blood-glucose-lowering drug of the sulfonylurea class. Tolbutamide is a pure, white, crystalline compound which is practically insoluble in water. The chemical name is benzenesulfonamide, N-[(butylamino)-carbonyl]-4-methyl-. Its structure can be represented as follows:
M.W. 270.35 C12H18N2O3S
Tolbutamide is supplied as compressed tablets containing 500 mg of tolbutamide, USP.
Each tablet for oral administration contains 500 mg of tolbutamide and the following inactive ingredients: colloidal silicon dioxide, magnesium stearate, microcrystalline cellulose, sodium lauryl sulfate and sodium starch glycolate.
Sources
Tolbutamide Manufacturers
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Mylan Pharmaceuticals Inc.
![Tolbutamide Tablet [Mylan Pharmaceuticals Inc.]](/wp-content/themes/bootstrap/assets/img/loading2.gif)
Tolbutamide | Mylan Pharmaceuticals Inc.
There is no fixed dosage regimen for the management of diabetes mellitus with tolbutamide tablets or any other hypoglycemic agent. In addition to the usual monitoring of urinary glucose, the patient's blood glucose must also be monitored periodically to determine the minimum effective dose for the patient; to detect primary failure, i.e., inadequate lowering of blood glucose at the maximum recommended dose of medication; and to detect secondary failure, i.e., loss of an adequate blood glucose lowering response after an initial period of effectiveness. Glycosylated hemoglobin levels may also be of value in monitoring the patient's response to therapy.
Short-term administration of tolbutamide tablets may be sufficient during periods of transient loss of control in patients usually controlled well on diet.
Usual Starting DoseThe usual starting dose is 1 to 2 grams daily. This may be increased or decreased, depending on individual patient response. Failure to follow an appropriate dosage regimen may precipitate hypoglycemia. Patients who do not adhere to their prescribed dietary regimens are more prone to exhibit unsatisfactory response to drug therapy.
Transfer from Other Hypoglycemic Therapy Patients Receiving Other Antidiabetic TherapyTransfer of patients from other oral antidiabetes regimens to tolbutamide tablets should be done conservatively. When transferring patients from oral hypoglycemic agents other than chlorpropamide to tolbutamide, no transition period and no initial or priming doses are necessary. When transferring patients from chlorpropamide, however, particular care should be exercised during the first 2 weeks because of the prolonged retention of chlorpropamide, in the body and the possibility that subsequent overlapping drug effects might provoke hypoglycemia.
Patients Receiving InsulinPatients requiring 20 units or less of insulin daily may be placed directly on tolbutamide tablets and insulin abruptly discontinued. Patients whose insulin requirement is between 20 and 40 units daily may be started on therapy with tolbutamide tablets with a concurrent 30% to 50% reduction in insulin dose, with further daily reduction of the insulin when response to tolbutamide tablets is observed. In patients requiring more than 40 units of insulin daily, therapy with tolbutamide tablets may be initiated in conjunction with a 20% reduction in insulin dose the first day, with further careful reduction of insulin as response is observed. Occasionally, conversion to tolbutamide tablets in the hospital may be advisable in candidates who require more than 40 units of insulin daily. During this conversion period when both insulin and tolbutamide tablets are being used hypoglycemia may rarely occur. During insulin withdrawal, patients should test their urine for glucose and acetone at least 3 times daily and report results to their physician. The appearance of persistent acetonuria with glycosuria indicates that the patient is type I diabetic who requires insulin therapy.
Maximum DoseDaily doses of greater than 3 grams are not recommended.
Usual Maintenance DoseThe maintenance dose is in the range of 0.25 to 3 grams daily. Maintenance doses above 2 grams are seldom required.
Dosage IntervalThe total daily dose may be taken either in the morning or in divided doses through the day. While either schedule is usually effective, the divided dose system is preferred by some clinicians from the standpoint of digestive tolerance.
In elderly patients, debilitated or malnourished patients, and patients with impaired renal or hepatic function, the initial and maintenance dosing should be conservative to avoid hypoglycemic reactions (see PRECAUTIONS).
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