SUMMARY: An improved method of oral digoxin therapy is discussed for euthyroid patients with normal electrolytes and gastrointestinal absorption, whose renal function may be normal, impaired, or rapidly changing.
This method aims toward a loading dose of 0.75 to 1.5 mg of digoxin in three divided doses approximately 5 hr apart.
The proper daily maintenance dose is a percentage of the loading dose given, depending upon renal function, and can be found from graphs presented.
For 95% of patients, these selected maintenance doses should sustain total body digoxin stores within 75% to 151% of the selected value (normal renal function) or within 71% to 169% of the selected value (anuria).
Caution is urged when raising total body digoxin stores above 1.7 mg in average size adults, although this is often required to control ventricular rate in patients with atrial arrhythmas.