Use of Colestipol in a Patient with Digoxin Intoxication

Abstract

The steroid-binding drug colestipol was administered to a patient with digoxin intoxication and the serial digoxin levels were measured. The actual half-life of elimination of digoxin was 55 hours, whereas the predicted half-life calculated from standard pharmacokinetic equations was at least 85 hours. Colestipol presumably interrupts the enterohepatic recycling of digoxin and enhances its fecal excretion. This is the first documented report of the successful use of colestipol for digoxin intoxication.