Drug interactions
Cortisone + Tolbutamide
Severity: Moderate
Cortisone and Tolbutamide: moderate interaction.
Last updated
For healthcare professionals — reference only. This page is a brief summary, not medical advice and not a substitute for official labeling or clinical judgement. Always verify before prescribing or dispensing.
Summary
Corticosteroids such as cortisone raise blood glucose and can reduce the effectiveness of sulfonylureas. Patients may need higher antidiabetic doses during steroid therapy and lower doses when it stops.
What this interaction means in plain words
Cortisone and Tolbutamide can affect each other. The combination is often manageable, but it may need a change of dose, a change of timing, or extra checks while both are taken.
Why it happens
Glucocorticoid-induced insulin resistance and increased hepatic gluconeogenesis antagonize tolbutamide.
What to do
Monitor blood glucose closely when cortisone is started, changed or stopped. Adjust the tolbutamide dose or add other therapy as needed.
What to ask your pharmacist
- Should I take them at different times of day?
- Does the dose of either medicine need to change?
- Is there anything I should avoid, such as alcohol or certain foods, while on both?
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Other interactions of Tolbutamide
- Glyburide-metformin + Tolbutamide Major
- Insulin degludec-liraglutide + Tolbutamide Major
- Aceclofenac + Tolbutamide Moderate
- Acemetacin + Tolbutamide Moderate
- Acetylsalicylic acid + Tolbutamide Moderate
- Albiglutide + Tolbutamide Moderate
Frequently asked questions
Can I take Cortisone with Tolbutamide?
MediHelp rates the interaction as moderate. Cortisone and Tolbutamide can affect each other. The combination is often manageable, but it may need a change of dose, a change of timing, or extra checks while both are taken. Corticosteroids such as cortisone raise blood glucose and can reduce the effectiveness of sulfonylureas. Patients may need higher antidiabetic doses during steroid therapy and lower doses when it stops.
How serious is the interaction between Cortisone and Tolbutamide?
MediHelp rates it moderate, on a four-level scale (minor, moderate, major, contraindicated) based on published labels and references. What to do, in brief: Monitor blood glucose closely when cortisone is started, changed or stopped. Adjust the tolbutamide dose or add other therapy as needed.
What other medicines interact with Tolbutamide?
MediHelp also lists interactions of Tolbutamide with, for example, Glyburide-metformin, Insulin degludec-liraglutide, Aceclofenac. The full list is on the Tolbutamide page.
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