Tolinase

Why should Tolinase not be prescribed?

Do not take Tolinase if you are sensitive to it or have ever had an allergic reaction to it; if you are suffering from diabetic ketoacidosis (a chemical imbalance leading to nausea, vomiting, confusion, and coma); or if you have type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetes and are not taking insulin.

Special warnings about Tolinase

It's possible that drugs such as Tolinase may lead to more heart problems than diet treatment alone, or diet plus insulin. If you have a heart condition, you may want to discuss this with your doctor.

Like other oral antidiabetic drugs, Tolinase may produce severe low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) if the dosing is wrong. While taking Tolinase, you are particularly susceptible to episodes of low blood sugar if:

You suffer from a kidney or liver problem;
You have a lack of adrenal or pituitary hormones; or
You are older, run-down, or malnourished.

You are at increased risk for a low blood sugar episode if you are hungry, exercising heavily, drinking alcohol, or using more than one glucose-lowering drug.

Note that an episode of low blood sugar may be difficult to recognize if you are an older person or if you are taking a beta-blocker drug (Inderal, Lopressor, Tenormin, and others).

If switching to Tolinase from chlorpropamide (Diabinese), you should take special care to avoid an episode of low blood sugar.

Stress such as fever, trauma, infection, or surgery may increase blood sugar to the point that you require insulin injections.

Possible food and drug interactions when taking Tolinase

If Tolinase is taken with certain other drugs, the effects of either could be increased, decreased, or altered. It is especially important to check with your doctor before combining Tolinase with the following:

Airway-opening drugs such as Sudafed and Ventolin
Alcohol
Aspirin or related drugs
Beta-blocking blood pressure medications such as Inderal and Lopressor
Blood-thinning drugs such as Coumadin
Calcium channel blockers such as Calan and Isoptin
Chloramphenicol (Chloromycetin)
Corticosteroids such as Cortef, Decadron, and Medrol
Diuretics such as Esidrix and Diuril
Estrogens such as Premarin and Estraderm
Isoniazid (Nydrazid)
MAO inhibitors (antidepressants such as Nardil and Parnate)
Miconazole (Monistat)
Nicotinic acid
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as Motrin and Naprosyn
Oral contraceptives
Phenothiazines (antipsychotic drugs such as Mellaril)
Phenytoin (Dilantin)
Probenecid
Rifampin (Rifadin)
Sulfa drugs such as Bactrim and Gantrisin
Thyroid drugs such as Synthroid