title: The pharmacokinetics of plasma total and free prednisolone during an alternate-day regimen.
abstract: To determine the pharmacokinetic changes of prednisolone associated with an alternate-day regimen, 12 patients with various diseases were studied longitudinally. There were 9 patients (6 with systemic lupus erythematosus, 2 with sarcoidosis and one with polymyositis), who were treated with prednisolone (daily period) and subsequently put on an alternate-day regimen (alternate-day period). In 2 of the other patients (one with systemic lupus erythematosus and one with multiple sclerosis), the alternate-day regimen was preceded by the daily regimen, and subsequently an intermittent regimen consisting of 4 consecutive days on therapy and 3 days off therapy was followed. In the remaining patient with systemic lupus erythematosus, the treatment with the alternate-day regimen was initiated and followed throughout the treatment period. The mean duration and the mean total administered dose during the study were 1.1 months and 1.9 g in the daily period, and 7.8 months and 7.7 g in the alternate-day period. The test was done and blood was drawn for 6 hours after an intravenous administration of 20 mg prednisolone (0.36 mg/kg on the average) at the end of the respective regimen periods. In the daily period and the on-day of the alternate-day regimen, the pharmacokinetic study of iv prednisolone injection was done before the ingestion of oral prednisolone. The off-day test was done the next morning of the on-day. Plasma total and free prednisolone concentrations were measured by RIA. On-day and off-day tests in the alternate-day period were performed during the same week. The mean half life of both total and free prednisolone was prolonged significantly in the daily period and during the on-day and off-day of the alternate-day regimen compared with the pretreatment values. The mean metabolic clearance rates (MCR) of both total and free prednisolone decreased significantly in the daily period and during the on-day and off-day of the alternate-day period in comparison with the pretreatment values. No significant difference was found between either mean half life or MCR during the on-day and off-day of the alternate-day period. These findings were in contrast with our previously observed prednisolone pharmacokinetics during the intermittent regimen (4 days on therapy and 3 days off therapy within one week), in which pharmacokinetic parameters during the on-day (after 3 days of prednisolone ingestion) and off-day (after 3 off-days of prednisolone ingestion) periodically changed and were similar to those in the pre-treatment period and during the daily therapy period, respectively.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
authors.affiliation: Third Department of Internal Medicine, Gifu University School of Medicine, Japan.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Fuwa
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yasuda
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Adachi
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Goshima
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Yamakita
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Miura
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D005260:Female; D006207:Half-Life; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008180:Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy; D008297:Male; D008657:Metabolic Clearance Rate; D008875:Middle Aged; D011239:Prednisolone / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000097:blood / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D011863:Radioimmunoassay; D012507:Sarcoidosis / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy
chemical_list: D011239:Prednisolone