Pharmacokinetics and clinical effects of scopolamine in caesarean section patients.

A new method (ELISA) was used to evaluate the pharmacokinetics of scopolamine following intravenous (0.005 mg/kg), intramuscular (0.01 mg/kg), and oropharyngeal (0.035 mg/kg) administration of the drug to pregnant patients anaesthetized for caesarean section. After intravenous (N = 4) the drug fast disappeared from the circulation with a half-life of about 5 min., and the serum levels generally were measurable up to 3 hours, mean elimination half-life was 1.85 hours. A fast absorption was found after intramuscular injection, tmax = 10 min. (N = 4), and the drug had a clinically significant oropharyngeal absorption as well, tmax was around 1 hour (N = 6). The intramuscular and oropharyngeal, but not the intravenous, administrations produced a marked postoperative sedative and amnesic effects. All three administration ways caused a significant antisecretory action.