The relationships between dose and concentration of tolbutamide and insulin and glucose responses in patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes

Summary It is uncertain how the hypoglycaemic effect of sulphonylureas varies with drug concentration in patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. The interrelationship of tolbutamide dosage and concentration, and glucose and insulin concentrations were therefore examined in 54 out-patients (the observational group) and in 20 patients studied under controlled conditions (the experimental group).In the observational group, tolbutamide concentration depended significantly on the daily dose, time from dose to sampling, body weight, and age. Blood glucose and insulin concentration were related, but were independent of tolbutamide concentration.In the experimental group, peak, but not pre-dose, tolbutamide concentration, depended on dose and on body mass index. Fasting and maximum post-prandial blood glucose concentration were positively correlated with maximum tolbutamide concentration, probably because tolbutamide dosage was highest in those with the poorest response.In the subset with a fasting blood glucose concentration of less than 8 mmol·l^–1, neither glucose nor insulin concentrations depended significantly on tolbutamide concentrations. Tolbutamide concentration does not directly determine hypoglycaemic response in outpatients, and therapeutic monitoring of drug concentrations would not improve the management of such patients.