diazoxide: prescribing and clinical use
Focused clinical detail for use alongside current product information, local policy and patient-specific assessment.
diazoxide: clinical details
Prescribing considerations
- Confirm that surgery or another specific treatment is unsuitable for the cause of hypoglycaemia.
- Consider renal function, cardiac reserve, cerebral or cardiac circulation, plasma-protein status and risk of fluid retention.
- Review gout or hyperuricaemia history and medicines affecting blood pressure, glucose, anticoagulation or phenytoin exposure.
- In neonates, maintain a high index of suspicion for necrotising enterocolitis.
Contraindications and cautions
- Hypersensitivity to diazoxide, other thiazides or any listed excipient
- Hypoglycaemia amenable to surgery or another specific therapy
- Relevant hereditary intolerance or malabsorption affecting lactose, galactose, fructose, sucrose or glucose-galactose handling
Monitoring
- Blood glucose closely when treatment is initiated or changed
- Blood pressure regularly
- Weight, oedema, respiratory symptoms and other signs of fluid retention or pericardial effusion
- Potassium and fluid balance when a diuretic is used
- Uric acid where clinically relevant
- Blood counts during prolonged treatment
- Growth and physical, bone and psychological development in children
- Symptoms of necrotising enterocolitis in neonates
Clinical pharmacology
Diazoxide opens pancreatic beta-cell ATP-sensitive potassium channels, hyperpolarising the membrane and inhibiting insulin secretion. It is rapidly and almost completely protein bound.
Formulation and product differences
- The selected licensed product is a white to off-white, round, biconvex, sugar-coated oral tablet.
- It contains lactose monohydrate and sucrose and is supplied in a plastic container with a tamper-evident closure.
diazoxide preparations and strengths
Tablet
Route: Oral
Strengths: 50 mg
diazoxide interactions
Tell the prescriber and pharmacist about all medicines being used. Important documented interactions include:
Oral diuretics
May strengthen blood-pressure lowering and glucose elevation; fluid balance and potassium may need review.
Antihypertensive medicines
May increase blood-pressure lowering, raising the risk of dizziness or hypotension.
Anticoagulants such as warfarin
Their effect may increase, so anticoagulation may require closer assessment.
Phenytoin
Diazoxide may reduce phenytoin levels or effect; blood-level monitoring may be required.
Sources
These sources were used to prepare and review this medicine page.
Prepared and reviewed by the iatroX editorial team.