Alpha-methyldopa and drug fever. A study of the metabolism of alpha-methyldopa in patients and normal subjects.

The metabolism of alpha-methyldopa was studied in 5 patients with febrile reactions to the drug, and compared with the metabolism in 5 patients without such reactions and in 4 normal subjects. A depression of the drug metabolism was found in drug fever patients, which may affect either the intestinal mucosal conjugation of the drug or the hepatic transformation. The decreased metabolism is assumed to be a possible causative mechanism of the adverse reaction.