Tell your doctor if you have kidney disease, liver disease, thyroid disease, type 1 diabetes, a serious infection, illness, or injury, or need surgery. You may not be able to take tolbutamide, or you may require a dosage adjustment or special monitoring during treatment if you have any of the conditions listed above.

Moreover, many medicines may increase or decrease the effects of tolbutamide or affect your condition. Before taking tolbutamide, tell your doctor if you are taking any of the following medications: aspirin or another salicylate such as magnesium/choline salicylate (Trilisate®), salsalate (Disalcid®, others), choline salicylate (Arthropan®), magnesium salicylate (Magan®), or bismuth subsalicylate (Pepto-Bismol®); a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) such as ibuprofen (Motrin®, Advil®, Nuprin®, others), ketoprofen (Orudis®, Orudis KT®, Oruvail®), diclofenac (Voltaren®, Cataflam®), etodolac (Lodine®), indomethacin (Indocin®), nabumetone (Relafen®), oxaprozin (Daypro®), naproxen (Anaprox®, Naprosyn®, Aleve®), and others; a sulfa-based drug such as sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim (Bactrim®, Septra®), sulfisoxazole (Gantrisin®), or sulfasalazine (Azulfidine®); a monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI) such as isocarboxazid (Marplan®), tranylcypromine (Parnate®), or phenelzine (Nardil®); a beta-blocker such as propranolol (Inderal®), atenolol (Tenormin®), acebutolol (Sectral®), metoprolol (Lopressor®), and others; a diuretic (water pill) such as hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ®, Hydrodiuril®), chlorothiazide (Diuril®), and others; a steroid medicine such as prednisone (Deltasone®, Orasone®, others), methylprednisolone (Medrol®, others), prednisolone (Prelone®, Pediapred®, others), and others; a phenothiazine such as chlorpromazine (Thorazine®), fluphenazine (Prolixin®, Permitil®), prochlorperazine (Compazine®), promethazine (Phenergan®), and others; phenytoin (Dilantin®); isoniazid (Nydrazid®); or prescription, over-the-counter, or herbal cough, cold, allergy, or weight loss medications. You may require a dosage adjustment or special monitoring if you are taking any of the medicines listed above.

Patients 65 years of age and older may have a stronger reaction to tolbutamide and may require a reduced dose.

Tolbutamide is in the FDA pregnancy category C. This means that it is not known whether tolbutamide will be harmful to an unborn baby. Do not take this medication without first talking to your doctor if you are pregnant or could become pregnant during treatment. Insulin is usually the drug of choice for controlling diabetes during pregnancy.

More importantly, tolbutamide passes into breast milk and may cause hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) in a nursing baby. Do not take tolbutamide without first talking to your doctor if you are breast-feeding a baby.

Follow your diet, medication, and exercise routines closely. Changing any of these can affect blood sugar levels.

Additionally, try to avoid alcohol intake, as it lowers blood sugar and may interfere with your diabetes treatment.

 

FDA Information

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In case of an emergency/overdose