Disopyramide Antidiabetics

The following are examples of substances that may increase the blood glucose-lowering effect and susceptibility to hypoglycemia oral antidiabetic products, ACE inhibitors, disopyramide, fibrates, fluoxetine, MAO inhibitors, pentoxifylline, propoxyphene, salicylates, and sulfonamide antibiotics. 

Drugs that may be affected by carvedilol include antidiabetic agents, calcium blockers, clonidine, cyclosporine, disopyramide, catecholamine depleting agents (eg, reserpine), and digoxin. 

Ultrafiltration has been used to determine the protein bound fraction of many drags, such as methadone (Wilkins et al. 1997), phenylacetate and phenylbu-tyrate (Boudoulas et al. 1996), etoposide (Robieux et al. 1997), doxorubicin and vincristine (Mayer and St-Onge 1995), disopyramide (Echize et al. 1995), and ketamine and its active metabolites (Hijazi and Boulieu 2002). Schumacher et al. (2000) have shown the applicability for the determination of erythro-cyte/plasma distribution. The method of UF has been applied in the measurement of free unaltered thyroxin or after displacement by salicylate as well after displacement by heparin in healthy people and in patients with non-thyroidal somatic illness (Faber et al. 1993). The protein binding of tritium labeled, antidiabetic repaglinide and its displacement by warfarin, furosemide, tolbutamide, diazepam, glibenclamide and nicardipine were determined by ultrafiltration (Plumetal. 2000). 

In patients receiving antidiabetic drugs, start with the lowest dose of disopyramide if there is no alternative. Measure creatinine clearance. If creatinine clearance is 40 mL/min or less, the dose of disopyramide should not exceed 100 mg and should be administered once daily if creatinine clearance is <15 ml/min. Watch for and warn patients about symptoms of hypoglycaemia For signs and symptoms of hypoglycaemia, see Clinical Features of Some Adverse Drug Interactions, Hypoglycaemia... 

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