A 59-year-old patient with acute pancreatitis is described, whose treatment was complicated by concomitant diabetes mellitus and arterial hypertension. He received propranolol and insulin without subsequent problems; however, when the insulin was changed to chlorpropamide, a significant increase in blood sugar occurred.
It was postulated that this increase in blood sugar was due to an antagonistic action of propranolol at the pancreatic level which interfered with the action of chlorpropamide.
GreenbergerNJ, ToskesPP, IsselbacherKJ. Diseases of the pancreas. In: HarrisonTR, ed. Principles of internal medicine, 9th ed.New York: McGraw-Hill, 1980: 1504.
2.
HanstenPD. Beta-blocking agents and antidiabetic drugs. Drug Intell Clin Pharm1980; 14: 46–50.
3.
Waal-ManningHJ. Can β-blockers be used in diabetic patients?Drugs1979; 17: 157–60.
4.
FurmanBL, TagoFM. Inhibitory effect of propranolol in insulin secretion. Br J Pharmacol1973; 49: 145P.
5.
BlumI, AderkaD, DoronM, LaronZ.Suppression of hypoglycemia by DL-propranolol in malignant insulinoma (letter). New Engl J Med1978; 299: 487.
6.
SchandellariC, ZaccariaM, De PaloC, SicoloN, ErieC, FederspilG.The effect of propranolol on hypoglycemia. Observations in five insulinoma patients. Diabetologia1978; 15: 297–301.
7.
de DivitisO, GiordanoF, GalloB, JaconoA.Tolbutamide and propranolol. Lancet1968; 1: 749.
