Acetohexamide is a first-generation sulfonylurea

Sulfonylurea

Sulfonylurea derivatives are a class of antidiabetic drugs that are used in the management of diabetes mellitus type 2. They act by increasing insulin release from the beta cells in the pancreas.-First generation:* Carbutamide...

 medication

Medication

A pharmaceutical drug, also referred to as medicine, medication or medicament, can be loosely defined as any chemical substance intended for use in the medical diagnosis, cure, treatment, or prevention of disease.- Classification :...

 used to treat diabetes mellitus type 2

Diabetes mellitus type 2

Diabetes mellitus type 2formerly non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus or adult-onset diabetesis a metabolic disorder that is characterized by high blood glucose in the context of insulin resistance and relative insulin deficiency. Diabetes is often initially managed by increasing exercise and...

, particularly in people whose diabetes cannot be controlled by diet alone.

Mechanism of action

Acetohexamide lowers blood sugar by stimulating the pancreas

Pancreas

The pancreas is a gland organ in the digestive and endocrine system of vertebrates. It is both an endocrine gland producing several important hormones, including insulin, glucagon, and somatostatin, as well as a digestive organ, secreting pancreatic juice containing digestive enzymes that assist...

 to secrete insulin and helping the body use insulin

Insulin

Insulin is a hormone central to regulating carbohydrate and fat metabolism in the body. Insulin causes cells in the liver, muscle, and fat tissue to take up glucose from the blood, storing it as glycogen in the liver and muscle....

 efficiently. The pancreas must produce insulin for this medication to work. For this reason, acetohexamide is not used to treat diabetes mellitus type 1

Diabetes mellitus type 1

Diabetes mellitus type 1 is a form of diabetes mellitus that results from autoimmune destruction of insulin-producing beta cells of the pancreas. The subsequent lack of insulin leads to increased blood and urine glucose...

.

metabolic reduction of acetohexamide into the active hypoglycemic metabolite S-(-)-hydroxyhexamide is carried out by cytochromes

Risks

Oral hypoglycemic drugs, including acetohexamide, have been associated with increased cardiovascular mortality. Talk to your doctor about the possible risks, benefits, and alternatives of using this drug for your condition.