Skip to Content
Merck

Enhancement of theophylline clearance by oral activated charcoal.

Clinical pharmacology and therapeutics (1983-03-01)
W G Berlinger, R Spector, M J Goldberg, G F Johnson, C K Quee, M J Berg
ABSTRACT

A randomized crossover trial of the effect of oral activated charcoal on the kinetics of intravenous theophylline was carried out in six normal male subjects. After intravenous aminophylline (6 mg/kg), subjects received water or water with activated charcoal (140 gm) in divided doses over 12 hr. Serum theophylline concentrations were measured from 0 to 24 hr after the aminophylline infusion. Treatment with activated charcoal decreased the serum t 1/2 from 6.4 +/- 1.2 to 3.3 +/- 0.4 (SEM) hr and the serum AUC from 78 +/- 14 to 42 +/- 4 mg . hr/l. Percent decrease in AUC after treatment with charcoal correlated positively with the endogenous theophylline serum t 1/2 (r = 0.94). These results suggest that oral activated charcoal (1) enhanced the total body clearance of theophylline and (2) may be efficacious in the treatment of theophylline poisoning, especially in patients with prolonged serum t 1/2s of theophylline.

MATERIALS
Product Number
Brand
Product Description

Supelco
Activated charcoal, puriss. p.a., powder
Supelco
Activated charcoal, powder
Sigma-Aldrich
Activated charcoal, acid-washed with hydrochloric acid
Sigma-Aldrich
Activated charcoal, untreated, granular, 20-60 mesh
Sigma-Aldrich
Activated Charcoal, meets USP testing specifications
Sigma-Aldrich
Activated charcoal, acid-washed with phosphoric and sulfuric acids