Acebutolol
Acebutolol is a beta-blocker (a heart and blood pressure medicine) used to treat high blood pressure and to manage ventricular premature beats, a type of irregular heartbeat.
🧬 Where this information comes from Click to expand
The clinical label records used on this page are FDA-filed Structured Product Labeling (SPL) retrieved through openFDA. We identified 6 clinical label sets within the page’s selected clinical scope after exact ingredient or ingredient-combination matching and applicable route/form matching. Forms, routes, brands, labelers, strengths, and NDC product-record counts are built separately from matching FDA National Drug Code Directory records. The linked DailyMed document is a representative official source for verification, not the page’s only clinical source. View the linked label on DailyMed →
Acebutolol (Sectral) is a heart-focused beta-blocker for high blood pressure and ventricular premature beats (extra early beats from the heart's lower chambers), on the U.S. market since about 1995, available as a generic and used less often than metoprolol or atenolol. Most people tolerate it well, noticing mainly tiredness, dizziness or headache. Never stop it suddenly, because in coronary artery disease that has led to worse chest pain, heart attacks and death; planned stops are tapered over about two weeks. It also needs extra care with asthma, heart failure, diabetes or an overactive thyroid, since it can hide the racing heartbeat that warns of low blood sugar.
Clinical pearls
- Check cold remedies and decongestant nasal drops before using them, since some ingredients can sharply raise blood pressure alongside acebutolol.
- Regular NSAIDs such as ibuprofen or naproxen can blunt its blood pressure lowering, so acetaminophen is usually the better pain reliever.
- Diacetolol, its active breakdown product, builds up with kidney problems, and older adults absorb roughly double, often needing lower doses.
- Tell your surgeon and anesthesia team you take acebutolol before any major surgery, and do not stop it on your own.
Patient information guide A plain-language walkthrough of Acebutolol, written from its FDA label.
What Acebutolol is used for
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Acebutolol is used for these conditions:
- High blood pressure (hypertension) in adults. Acebutolol hydrochloride capsules can be used alone or with other blood pressure medicines, especially thiazide-type diuretics.
- Ventricular premature beats. Acebutolol hydrochloride capsules reduce the total number of extra beats, including paired, multiform and R-on-T beats.
How Acebutolol works
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Acebutolol is a cardioselective beta-blocker. It blocks beta-1 receptors in the heart, which slows the heart rate and reduces how much blood the heart pumps. That helps lower blood pressure and calm extra heartbeats.
It has mild intrinsic sympathomimetic activity (ISA), so the resting heart rate falls slightly less than with some other beta-blockers. Its heart-focused action is dose-dependent and lessens at higher doses.
Acebutolol dosage
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Acebutolol hydrochloride capsules are taken by mouth. For high blood pressure, it is often given once daily, but some people need twice-daily dosing. For ventricular arrhythmia, it usually starts as twice-daily dosing and the dose is raised gradually.
- Food does not significantly change how much drug is absorbed.
- Older adults may need lower maintenance doses.
- Never stop it suddenly. The dose is lowered over about two weeks.
Follow your prescriber's directions and your label.
Dosing details from the FDA-approved label
From the Acebutolol prescribing information (“Dosage and Administration”). Doses are set by your prescriber for your product, condition, kidney function and age — never change a dose on your own.
- Hypertension (uncomplicated mild-to-moderate)
- Initial dosage 400 mg, given as a single daily dose, but in occasional patients twice daily dosing may be required for adequate 24-hour blood-pressure control
- An optimal response is usually achieved with dosages of 400 mg to 800 mg per day, although some patients have been maintained on as little as 200 mg per day
- Beta-1 selectivity diminishes as dosage is increased.
- Hypertension (more severe or inadequately controlled)
- May respond to a total of 1200 mg daily (administered b.i.d.), or to the addition of a second antihypertensive agent
- Maximum: 1200 mg daily
- Beta-1 selectivity diminishes as dosage is increased.
- Ventricular Arrhythmia
- Usual initial dose is 400 mg daily given as 200 mg b.i.d
- Dosage should be increased gradually until an optimal clinical response is obtained, generally at 600 mg to 1200 mg per day
- If treatment is to be discontinued, reduce the dosage gradually over a period of about two weeks.
- Older patients
- May require lower maintenance doses
- Maximum: Doses above 800 mg/day should be avoided
- Older patients have an approximately 2-fold increase in bioavailability.
Read the label’s full dosing text
DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION Hypertension The initial dosage of acebutolol in uncomplicated mild-to-moderate hypertension is 400 mg. This can be given as a single daily dose, but in occasional patients twice daily dosing may be required for adequate 24-hour blood-pressure control. An optimal response is usually achieved with dosages of 400 mg to 800 mg per day, although some patients have been maintained on as little as 200 mg per day. Patients with more severe hypertension or who have demonstrated inadequate control may respond to a total of 1200 mg daily (administered b.i.d.), or to the addition of a second antihypertensive agent. Beta-1 selectivity diminishes as dosage is increased. Ventricular Arrhythmia The usual initial dose of acebutolol is 400 mg daily given as 200 mg b.i.d. Dosage should be increased gradually until an optimal clinical response is obtained, generally at 600 mg to 1200 mg per day. If treatment is to be discontinued, the dosage should be reduced gradually over a period of about two weeks. Use in Older Patients Older patients have an approximately 2-fold increase in bioavailability and may require lower maintenance doses. Doses above 800 mg/day should be avoided in the elderly.
Read the full Dosage and Administration section on DailyMed →
Acebutolol side effects
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Acebutolol is generally well tolerated, and most side effects are mild and tend to ease with time. Common ones include:
Common side effects
- Tiredness or fatigue
- Dizziness
- Headache
- Constipation
- Diarrhea
- Nausea
- Indigestion
- Trouble sleeping
When to get medical help
- Call your doctor right away if you have new or worsening chest pain (angina) or if it returns after you cut back or stop the medicine.
- Get medical help for signs of heart failure, such as new swelling or worsening shortness of breath.
- Tell your doctor if you feel very slow heartbeat, fainting or near-fainting, vertigo, or dizziness when standing.
- Seek help for wheezing or breathing trouble, especially if you have asthma or another airway disease.
- If you have diabetes, know that low blood sugar can be harder to notice because a fast heartbeat may be masked.
- Do not stop acebutolol suddenly; talk to your doctor first.
Acebutolol warnings and precautions
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- Stopping suddenly: can worsen angina and has led to heart attack and death in people with coronary artery disease. Taper over about two weeks.
- Heart failure: beta-blockers can worsen it. Therapy should be withdrawn if heart failure continues.
- Peripheral vascular disease: can worsen symptoms of poor circulation.
- Bronchospastic disease: beta-blockers are generally avoided. Low doses may be used with caution, with a bronchodilator available.
- Diabetes: can potentiate insulin-induced low blood sugar and mask a fast heartbeat.
- Thyroid overactivity: can mask a fast heartbeat, and abrupt withdrawal may trigger thyroid storm.
- Surgery: do not routinely stop before major surgery, but tell the surgical team.
Acebutolol interactions
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Several medicines can change how acebutolol works or add to its effects:
- Reserpine and similar drugs: can add to the effect, causing a very slow heartbeat or low blood pressure.
- Cold remedies and vasoconstrictive nasal drops with alpha-adrenergic stimulants: can cause exaggerated blood pressure rises.
- NSAIDs: may blunt the blood pressure-lowering effect.
- Digitalis glycosides: both slow the heart, raising the risk of a slow heartbeat.
No significant interactions were seen with digoxin levels, hydrochlorothiazide, hydralazine, sulfinpyrazone, oral contraceptives, tolbutamide or warfarin.
Interactions listed in the FDA-approved label
From the Acebutolol prescribing information (“Drug Interactions”): what the manufacturer studied or reported to the FDA.
- Catecholamine-depleting drugs, such as reserpine: May have an additive effect when given with β-blocking agents. Observe closely for evidence of marked bradycardia or hypotension, which may present as vertigo, syncope/presyncope, or orthostatic changes in blood pressure without compensatory tachycardia.
- α-adrenergic stimulants, including those in proprietary cold remedies and vasoconstrictive nasal drops: Exaggerated hypertensive responses have been reported from combined use with β-adrenergic antagonists. Patients receiving β-blockers should be warned of this potential hazard.
- Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs: Blunting of the antihypertensive effect of beta-adrenoreceptor blocking agents has been reported.
- Digoxin, hydrochlorothiazide, hydralazine, sulfinpyrazone, oral contraceptives, tolbutamide, warfarin: No significant interactions have been observed.
- Digitalis glycosides: Both digitalis glycosides and beta-blockers slow atrioventricular conduction and decrease heart rate; concomitant use can increase the risk of bradycardia.
Read the label’s full interactions text
Drug Interactions Catecholamine-depleting drugs, such as reserpine, may have an additive effect when given with β-blocking agents. Patients treated with acebutolol plus catecholamine depletors should, therefore, be observed closely for evidence of marked bradycardia or hypotension which may present as vertigo, syncope/presyncope, or orthostatic changes in blood pressure without compensatory tachycardia. Exaggerated hypertensive responses have been reported from the combined use of β-adrenergic antagonists and α-adrenergic stimulants, including those contained in proprietary cold remedies and vasoconstrictive nasal drops. Patients receiving β-blockers should be warned of this potential hazard. Blunting of the antihypertensive effect of beta-adrenoreceptor blocking agents by nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs has been reported. No significant interactions with digoxin, hydrochlorothiazide, hydralazine, sulfinpyrazone, oral contraceptives, tolbutamide, or warfarin have been observed. Both digitalis glycosides and beta-blockers slow atrioventricular conduction and decrease heart rate. Concomitant use can increase the risk of bradycardia.
Not a complete list. The label covers the interactions the manufacturer studied or reported, and our own interaction database does not cover every medicine either. Bring your full medication list, including vitamins and herbal products, to your pharmacist.
Before taking Acebutolol
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- Not for people with persistently severe slow heartbeat, second- or third-degree heart block, overt cardiac failure or cardiogenic shock.
- Use caution with a history of heart failure, valve disease, weakened heart function, coronary artery disease or peripheral vascular disease.
- Use caution with asthma or other bronchospastic disease, diabetes or thyroid overactivity.
- Kidney problems: an active breakdown product builds up, so caution is needed.
- Older adults absorb about twice as much and may need lower doses; doses above a set daily limit should be avoided.
- Acebutolol crosses the placenta and passes into breast milk.
Acebutolol overdose
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No specific emergency treatment information exists for acebutolol overdose. Overdose with other beta-blockers has caused extreme slow heartbeat, heart block, low blood pressure, severe heart failure, seizures, and in susceptible people, breathing trouble and low blood sugar. Get emergency medical help right away. Acebutolol can be removed by dialysis.
What Acebutolol does in the body
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At recommended doses, acebutolol lowers resting heart rate and slows the racing heart during exercise. It also reduces cardiac output and lowers systolic and diastolic blood pressure. It slows conduction through the heart's AV node. Blood pressure and heart rate effects are seen within about 1.5 hours and peak between 3 and 8 hours, and effects on exercise heart rate remain 24 to 30 hours later. Long-term use did not significantly change blood lipids.
How your body processes Acebutolol
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Acebutolol is well absorbed from the gut, but the liver breaks down much of it on the first pass, leaving about 40% bioavailability. Its main breakdown product, diacetolol, is active and equally potent. Peak levels occur around 2.5 hours, and the half-life is about 3 to 4 hours (8 to 13 hours for diacetolol). Food slightly slows absorption but does not change total exposure. The body clears it through the kidneys (about 30% to 40%) and through non-kidney routes such as bile and the intestinal wall (about 50% to 60%).
How to store Acebutolol
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Store at 20° to 25°C (68° to 77°F) . Protect from light. Dispense in a tight, light-resistant container.
Written from the FDA-approved label with AI and reviewed by our pharmacy team. How we use AI →
Supplements & herbs that interact with Acebutolol
173 supplements and herbal products have documented interactions with Acebutolol in the licensed clinical database we use. Most are manageable — but your pharmacist should know about everything you take, including vitamins and herbals.
- Major · 8
- Moderate · 143
- Minor · 22
Educational information from a licensed clinical database (Natural Medicines) — see our data sources & update cadence. Not medical advice: an interaction being documented does not mean it will happen to you; do not start or stop medications or supplements without professional guidance.
Nutrient depletion considerations
Acebutolol has been associated with lower levels of 1 nutrient in the clinical literature. This does not mean a deficiency will occur — it means these may be worth discussing with your pharmacist or healthcare provider, especially with long-term use.
Educational information from a licensed clinical database (Natural Medicines) — not medical advice. Do not start or stop medications or supplements without professional guidance.
Acebutolol: pharmacist answers to common questions
Quick, plain-English answers to the questions patients ask most about Acebutolol — the kind of thing our pharmacy team would talk through with you at the counter.
What is acebutolol used for?
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Can I stop taking it if I feel fine?
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What side effects should I expect?
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Do I need to take it with food?
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Can I take cold medicines or pain relievers with it?
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I have diabetes. Is acebutolol okay?
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Is Acebutolol available over the counter?
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When was Acebutolol first available?
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Who makes Acebutolol?
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Answers drafted from the FDA-approved label with AI and reviewed by our pharmacy team. How we use AI →
More about Acebutolol on HelloPharmacist
Acebutolol forms and strengths (how it comes)
Acebutolol is available in 1 form. Different forms and brands can have different approved uses, doses, schedules, and directions. Follow the instructions for your exact product, and do not switch forms without guidance from your prescriber or pharmacist.
Need a version that does not list lactose, a gluten source, a dye or gelatin? Inactive ingredients differ by manufacturer: see Acebutolol inactive ingredients by manufacturer.
Capsule
How this form is used
- Acebutolol Hydrochloride capsules are used to manage high blood pressure in adults, alone or with other blood pressure medicines.
- Acebutolol Hydrochloride capsules are used to manage ventricular premature beats.
- Acebutolol Hydrochloride capsules are taken by mouth; for high blood pressure they are often taken once daily, though some people need twice-daily dosing.
- Acebutolol Hydrochloride capsules for ventricular arrhythmia are usually started as twice-daily dosing and adjusted gradually by the prescriber.
- If Acebutolol Hydrochloride capsules are to be stopped, the dose is reduced gradually over about two weeks.
Acebutolol on the U.S. market: products, makers and brands
How Acebutolol appears in the FDA’s National Drug Code Directory — including its dosage forms, strengths, brand names, manufacturers, and FDA-listed product records. These are directory records, not sales or prescription volume.
6 companies list 10 Acebutolol product records with the FDA, mostly as capsule; the earliest marketing or approval year on record is 1984. Brand names on the directory include Sectral; the rest are generics.
Also listed with the FDA, not a patient dose form: Powder (2) — bulk drug substance sold to compounders/manufacturers and multi-item kits. These aren’t counted in the dose-form total above.
Share of FDA-listed product records by manufacturer — FDA National Drug Code Directory. Record counts are not sales or prescription volume.
How widely Acebutolol is used (Medicaid data)
A general measure of how commonly Acebutolol is prescribed, based on Medicaid — one of the largest public drug programs. The figure below is prescriptions filled in Q1–Q4 2025, summed across every form and brand of the drug.
Think of this as a proxy for how widely Acebutolol is used, drawn from freely available public data. Medicaid is just one program — these numbers don’t include Medicare, other government coverage, or commercial and cash-pay prescriptions, so real-world use is higher than what’s shown here.
How commonly is Acebutolol prescribed? Of the 1,601 medications we measure, Acebutolol ranks #1,126 by Medicaid prescriptions — more than 30% of them.
Utilization by Acebutolol product
Pick a product to see its own Medicaid numbers. Each chip is one clinical product — a specific strength & dosage form as defined by RxNorm — with brand-name and generic versions combined.
acebutolol 200 MG Oral Capsule Most dispensed
Summed across the 2 of 11 listed NDC products with Medicaid activity — every brand and generic of this exact strength & form. RxNorm 998689
acebutolol 400 MG Oral Capsule
Summed across the 2 of 10 listed NDC products with Medicaid activity — every brand and generic of this exact strength & form. RxNorm 998685
Shares are of the Medicaid prescriptions shown here. Product grouping follows RxNorm (the National Library of Medicine’s drug terminology), so “one product” means one strength & dosage form regardless of manufacturer. Dollar figures are gross Medicaid reimbursement before mandatory rebates — rebates (often large, especially for brand-name drugs) are confidential, so actual net cost to Medicaid is lower than shown.
Source: Medicaid State Drug Utilization Data (CMS), aggregated by generic ingredient — summed across every NDC (all brands, strengths, salt forms and dosage forms) of Acebutolol, and across all states and both fee-for-service and managed-care claims. A general popularity signal; it excludes Medicare, commercial insurance and cash prescriptions, so it is not total U.S. use. Based on the 4 of 21 listed Acebutolol NDCs with Medicaid activity.
Compare Acebutolol products
A representative set of FDA-listed product records for Acebutolol — across manufacturers, strengths, and dosage forms, grouped by form with each product’s manufacturer and how the FDA approved it. The same medicine may be made and packaged by different companies, so a single drug can have many directory entries. (It’s also why a refill can look different — a new shape, color, or box — even though it contains the same medication.)
| Strength | Route | Manufacturer / Labeler | Category ⓘ | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 💊Capsule | ||||
| 200 mg | Oral | Amneal Pharmaceuticals LLC | ANDA | View NDC → |
| 400 mg | Oral | Amneal Pharmaceuticals LLC | ANDA | View NDC → |
| 200 mg | Oral | Amneal Pharmaceuticals of New York LLC | ANDA | View NDC → |
| 400 mg | Oral | Amneal Pharmaceuticals of New York LLC | ANDA | View NDC → |
| 200 mg | Oral | ANI Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | ANDA | View NDC → |
| 400 mg | Oral | ANI Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | ANDA | View NDC → |
| 200 mg | Oral | AvKARE | ANDA | View NDC → |
| 200 mg | Oral | AvPAK | ANDA | View NDC → |
| 200 mg | Oral | Golden State Medical Supply, Inc. | ANDA | View NDC → |
| 400 mg | Oral | Golden State Medical Supply, Inc. | ANDA | View NDC → |
Showing 10 of 10 products — FDA National Drug Code Directory. See every product, package size and price: browse all 10 Acebutolol NDCs →
Acebutolol side effects reported to the FDA (FAERS)
After a medicine reaches the market, patients, doctors and drugmakers can send the FDA reports of problems they think may be linked to it. Here’s what’s been reported for Acebutolol — a signal of what to watch for, not proof the drug caused it.
Source: openFDA, from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). These are voluntary reports — they don’t prove the drug caused the effect, and counts reflect how often something was reported, not how often it actually happens. Reports also often name the very problem the medicine is taken for — a common reason to file one is that the drug didn’t help — so for a pain reliever you may see “pain” high on the list; that points to why the report was filed, not to the drug causing the symptom. This counts every report that lists Acebutolol in any role, so the total runs higher than the FDA’s official dashboard, which counts only cases where the drug is the suspect. For the authoritative figures, see the FDA FAERS Public Dashboard. Always talk to your pharmacist or doctor.
Acebutolol FDA approval history
How Acebutolol went from FDA review to the pharmacy shelf — the key milestones in its regulatory journey.
Source: Drugs@FDA.
Acebutolol recall history
A recall is when a specific batch of a medicine is pulled from the market — usually a manufacturing issue, not a problem with the drug itself. Class I is most serious, Class III least.
The FDA’s enforcement reports list no Acebutolol recalls since July 2021.
✅No Acebutolol recalls on record since July 2021Source: FDA enforcement (recall) reports, via openFDA; our copy was last updated Sep 24, 2026.
RxNorm Concept Web — From Ingredient to Every Form and Strength
This page starts with one ingredient concept (IN). The branches below show its dose-form concepts (SCDF), then the available clinical drug and strength concepts (SCD). Combination products remain separate concepts with their own pages.
RxCUI 149 2 dose forms · 4 strengths
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Dose form (SCDF) Oral Capsule RxCUI 370505In current FDA listings -
Dose form (SCDF) Oral Tablet RxCUI 370737No current FDA listingClinical drug / strength (SCD) 400 MGRxCUI 998695
Look up RxCUI 149 in the RxCUI Atlas →
RxNorm is the U.S. National Library of Medicine’s normalized drug vocabulary. Its concept hierarchy can include forms that are not currently marketed; the status on each branch compares that concept with current FDA listings. RxCUIs identify vocabulary concepts, not individual packages or manufacturers.
Acebutolol supply and shortage status
Whether Acebutolol is in short supply in the U.S. right now, plus any shortage history the FDA has on record. A shortage usually reflects a manufacturing or demand issue — not a safety problem with the drug.
Source: openFDA, from the FDA Drug Shortages database.
Acebutolol brand names
Acebutolol is sold under one brand name in the FDA directory — Sectral. A brand and its generic contain the same active ingredient; the brand name belongs to one company's product.
Who makes Acebutolol: manufacturers and labelers
6 companies list Acebutolol products with the FDA. By number of product records, the largest are ANI Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Amneal Pharmaceuticals LLC, Amneal Pharmaceuticals of New York LLC. Labelers include manufacturers and repackagers; the product in your bottle depends on which one your pharmacy stocks.
Acebutolol drug class (RxNorm)
Acebutolol belongs to the beta-Adrenergic Blocker class.
Classified by RxNorm RxClass — the U.S. National Library of Medicine's standardized drug-classification service (Established Pharmacologic Class from the FDA, the ATC drug family from the WHO, and mechanism of action). Reference only, not medical advice.
Sources for this Acebutolol page
Core label, product, RxNorm, safety, and utilization data on this page come from the sources identified below. AI-written, editorial, and licensed sections are labeled separately.
How this page is built
HelloPharmacist combines public FDA and NLM records and does not author the underlying clinical facts. The plain-language sections are written with AI from the FDA-approved label text and reviewed by our pharmacy team before publication. Golden State Medical Supply, Inc. is the representative DailyMed label linked for verification and dates. This is general education, not medical advice: always talk to your doctor or pharmacist about your own medicines. How we build and review drug pages →