Metabolism
The metabolism of a drug depends, among other things, on whether it was taken as a tablet, injected through the vein, applied as an ointment or administered by inhalation, for example. The steroid prednisolone, for example, which is taken as a tablet, reaches its maximum concentration in the blood after about two hours after it has been absorbed in the stomach and intestines. In the blood it then binds to various proteins such as albumin.
Once it reaches the liver, it is then converted into hormonally inactive products. These inactive products are excreted via the kidneys. It is important to note that the duration of action of prednisolone, at 18-36 hours, is considerably longer than its detectability in the blood.
In cases of severe liver damage, these times change. If prednisolone is inhaled, its effects are mostly only felt in the bronchi and not in the whole body. This is important with regard to the side effects that normally occur when taking steroids.
The non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug Diclofenac, taken as a tablet, usually reaches its highest concentration in the blood after two hours. It is mainly absorbed by the intestine. After intestinal passage, a large part of the diclofenac is inactivated in the liver, which is known as the so-called first pass effect.
About 30% of the active ingredient is excreted through the intestines and faeces and about 70% through the kidneys. If Diclofenac is injected into the muscle, it reaches its highest concentration in the blood after about 15 minutes. When administered as a suppository, the highest concentration is reached after half an hour.
No special metabolism is known about the herbal anti-inflammatory drug Arnica. This does not apply however to all vegetable inflammation inhibitors, but is different with each vegetable contents material.
