To explore a possible interaction between digoxin and verapamil, a single‐dose kinetic study of digoxin was performed and then repeated after 10 days of verapamil treatment in eight healthy subjects. Verapamil diminished the apparent central distribution volume of digoxin from 0.83 ± 0.25 to 0.64 ± 0.17 l/kg (P < 0.05) and reduced total body clearance of digoxin from 3.28 ± 0.58 to 2.15 ± 0.66 ml/min/kg (P < 0.001) by impairing both renal and extrarenal clearance. Biological digoxin half‐life rose from 38.6 ± 8.5 to 50.5 ± 8.3 hr (P < 0.005). Reduction of renal clearance of digoxin may be due to inhibition of tubular secretion. The underlying mechanisms of extrarenal interaction are not known, but impaired hepatic degradation of digoxin induced by verapamil should be considered.
Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics (1981) 30, 311–316; doi:
Single-dose investigations in healthy subjects have demonstrated substantial impairment of renal and extrarenal clearance of digoxin during coadministration of verapamil. A longitudinal study has been performed to assess the changes in digoxin disposition during long-term verapamil therapy. After one week of verapamil 240 mg/d mean plasma digoxin had risen from 0.21 +/- 0.01 ng/ml (SE) to 0.34 +/- 0.01 ng/ml(p less than 0.01), and renal digoxin clearance had fallen from 197.57 +/- 17.37 ml/min to 128.20 +/- 10.33 ml/min (p less than 0.001). These changes gradually subsided, and after six weeks, renal digoxin clearance had normalized and plasma digoxin had declined to 0.27 +/0 0.02 ng/ml (NS). The 24-h urinary recovery of digoxin increased from 46.46 +/- 3.23% before to 69.78 +/- 3.69% (p less than 0.001) after six weeks of verapamil co-administration, and this elevation persisted throughout the study. The verapamil-induced suppression of renal digoxin elimination disappears over a few weeks of drug exposure, whereas the inhibition of the extrarenal clearance of digoxin seems to persist.
Verapamil has been shown to reduce total-body digoxin clearance by 35% due to impairments of both renal and extrarenal clearances. Our study was undertaken to evaluate the influence of the related calcium antagonist nifedipine on single-dose kinetics. Nifedipine increased extrarenal clearance of digoxin from 1.09 +/- 0.30(SD) to 1.45 +/- 0.23 ml/min/kg (P less than 0.05) and reduced the total urinary recovery of the drug from 69.2% +/- 5.9(SD) to 64.3% +/- 5.2 (P less than 0.05). There were no significant changes in renal digoxin clearance, distribution, or biological half-life or in digoxin distribution volumes during nifedipine coadministration.
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