by 
The Curious Bag
-
Dopamine, also known as Intropin or Revimine, is a heart medication used to improve cardiac output and thereby to increase blood supply to the kidneys. The pharmacokinetics of a drug looks at how a medicine is absorbed, distributed and broken down in the body.
Administration
Dopamine is administered via intravenous infusion only. This makes it immediately and completely available to the body. It can then be absorbed by the cells that it is meant to treat.
Distribution
Dopamine can travel to various parts of the body and is thus widely distributed. Despite this fact, dopamine does not cross the blood-brain barrier.
Metabolism
Dopamine is metabolized, or broken down, in the liver, kidneys and plasma. It is broken down into other substances, such as homovanillic acid.
Excretion
Homovanillic acid and other derivatives of dopamine are excreted in the urine.
Half-Life
Dopamine has a half-life of two minutes. This means that two minutes after administering this drug, only half the administered dosage will be left in the body.
Source:
"Davis's Drug Guide For Nurses"; Judith Hopfer Deglin and April Hazard Vallerand; 2007
"Principles of Pharmacology: The Pathophysiologic Basis of Drug Therapy"; David E. Golan; 2008
RELATED QUESTIONS
Copyright 2023, Wired Ivy, LLC