Pharmacology: Pharmacokinetics: Nicardipine is rapidly and completely absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract but is subject to saturable first pass hepatic metabolism. Bioavailability of about 35% has been reported after a 30-mg dose at steady state. The pharmacokinetics of nicardipine are non-linear due to the saturable first-pass hepatic metabolism and an increase in dose may produce a disproportionate increase in plasma concentration. There is also considerable interindividual variation in plasma-nicardipine concentrations. Nicardipine is more than 95% bound to plasma proteins. Nicardipine is extensively metabolized in the liver and is excreted in the urine and faeces, mainly as inactive metabolites. The terminal plasma half-life is about 8.6 hours, thus steady-state plasma concentrations are achieved after 2 to 3 days of dosing three times daily.
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