Pharmacokinetics of sulpiride in humans after intravenous and intramuscular administrations

The pharmacokinetics of sulpiride in plasma, red blood cells (RBC), and urine were investigated after administration of 100 mg by the iv route to 15 subjects and by the im route to 12 subjects. The concentrations of sulpiride in plasma, RBC, and urine were measured by HPLC. All the data were consistent with a two-compartment, open-body model. After iv administration, the mean +/- SD apparent elimination half-life of sulpiride was 6.47 +/- 1.00 h, and the mean +/- SD volume of distribution at steady state was 0.94 +/- 0.23 L/kg. Renal clearance (119.5 +/- 28.2 mL/min) was very close to total clearance (127.8 +/- 26.2 mL/min). In urine, the mean +/- SD recovery in form of the unchanged drug was 90.0 +/- 9.68% of the administered dose, and the excretion rate versus time showed an elimination half-life similar to that found in plasma. The values of all these parameters were very close to those obtained after im administration. The sulpiride partition coefficient between RBC and plasma did not show any significant change as a function of time and concentration, with a mean value +/- SD of 1.00 +/- 0.043, indicating that sulpiride is evenly distributed between RBC and plasma. The pharmacokinetic parameters determined from the plasma and the RBC data were similar.