Oral glucose tolerance tests (OGTT) were performed for two subsequent days in 4 patients with active acromegaly, 2 patients with prolactin-producing pituitary adenomas and one insulinoma patient. Thirty minutes before the second OGTT 250 mug of somatostatin were injected intravenously as a bolus followed by a somatostatin infusion (500 mug) over 21/2 hours. The OGTTs were pathologic due to the hGH- and hPRL-induced insulin antagonism; they could not be normalized or improved by somatostatin. Only the peak of the blood sugar curve was shifted from one to two and a half hours after glucose administration; insulin and hGH levels were regularly suppressed after somatostatin whereas hPRL remained unchanged in most instances. Gastrin levels increased in all patients during the OGTT, the increase was suppressed in 4 patients. These findings show that the pathologic glucose tolerance due to insulin antagonism could not be improved by somatostatin in contrast to the deteriorated glucose tolerance in insulinopenic states.