Gastrointestinal dialysis of digoxin using cholestyramine

The pharmacokinetic parameters of digoxin given intravenously (0.075 mg/kg) alone and following treatment with oral cholestyramine (8 gm in 50 ml water) were studied in rabbits. Pretreatment with cholestyramine produced a significant decrease in the serum concentration of digoxin and significantly enhances its systemic clearance as indicated by a statistically significant decrease in the area under the concentration-time curve (AUC), half time of elimination (t 1/2), and mean residence time (MRT). These findings indicate that the idea of gastrointestinal dialysis, known with activated charcoal, could be extended to ion-exchange resins that could be a potentially useful adjunctive measure in the management of drug overdose especially with commonly used drugs with a low therapeutic index like digoxin.