Effects of age and smoking on the pharmacokinetics of pindolol and propranolol.

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Abstract
1 Pharmacokinetic investigations were carried out in a group of 32 ambulant normal male volunteers in order to determine the effect of age and smoking on steady-state plasma levels of pindolol and propranolol. There were four groups of 8: young non-smokers (YNS), young smokers (YS), old non-smokers (ONS) and old smokers (OS). Each subject received, in a randomized cross-over sequence, 5 mg pindolol and 80 mg propranolol three times daily for 2 days with an interval of at least 14 days between the two treatment periods. 2 Neither age nor smoking was shown to have any influence on the time to reach a peak plasma level after pindolol or propranolol. Age, on the other hand, significantly increased the peak plasma levels and the areas under the plasma concentration time curves, and decreased the elimination rate constants, the differences between the age groups being more pronounced for propranolol than for pindolol. No effect of smoking on these parameters was observed. 3 Differences were found between pindolol and propranolol in respect of time to reach a peak plasma level, peak plasma levels and area under the plasma concentration time curves in the groups ONS and YS when related to the YNS control group. Changes observed (with the exception of the time to reach a peak level) tended to be less for pindolol and were considered to be of little clinical relevance.