Metabolic studies in patients with nadolol: oral and intravenous administration.

Nadolol-14C, 2,3-cis-5-(3-[(1,1-dimethylethyl)amino]-2-hydroxypropoxy)-1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-2,3-naphthalenediol, a nonselective beta-adrenergic blocking agent, was administered orally and intravenously at 2-mg doses to patients with mild cases of essential hypertension. Terminal plasma half-times after oral and intravenous doses were an average of 12.2 and 9.8 hours, respectively. After oral doses, an average of 24.6 and 76.9 per cent of the dose was excreted in urine and feces, respectively, whereas, after intravenous doses, an average of 72.9 and 23.3 per cent of the dose was excreted by the same routes. Calculations of absorption, based on urinary excretion and on areas under the plasma concentration-versus-time curves, indicated that oral doses of nadolol-14C were absorbed to the extent of 33.6+/-2.4 per cent (+/- S.E.). The average overall volume of distribution after intravenous administration was 2.09+/-0.51 1./kg (+/- S.E.), and the average volume of the central compartment was 0.30+/-0.04 1./kg. Only unchanged nadolol-14C was excreted in the urine and feces of patients after either oral or intravenous administration of the drug.