Drug and metabolite concentrations combined in predicting steady‐state concentrations from test doses

The first day test dose versus steady‐state relationship for predicting drug doses was evaluated for the situation where metabolites are produced. An organ clearance model incorporated into a digital computer program simulated drug and metabolite disposition. When the terminal elimination rate for metabolite was similar to that of its precursor, the drug and metabolite concentrations could be summed for use in test dose predictions as the resulting accumulation ratios were similar. However, if an active metabolite is eliminated more slowly than its precursor, future studies should consider these concentrations separately for predictive purposes. The theoretical results agreed with concentration data obtained from a study of patients who took imipramine.