ABSTRACT
The use of charcoal as a pharmaceutical antidote for poisoning therapy dates back to the time of Hippocrates. Activated carbon is the only FDA-recognized adsorbent for the treatment of swallowed poison. A significant concern has arisen over the alarming 1.6 million United States poisonings annually, with drug and alcohol abuse victims taking a formidable toll on our emergency care system. A universal pharmaceutical antidote containing activated carbon is not stocked in home medicine cabinets. The pharmacokinetics of propanolol following intravenous administration, with and without treatment with oral activated charcoal, was investigated in rabbits. The results indicate that administration of oral activated charcoal enhances the systemic elimination of propanolol. Activated carbon's role in hemodialysis, hemoperfusion and hemofiltration is intrinsic to the survival of organ-damaged patients and those of accidental poisoning. Controlled-release drugs may be prepared by formulating the drug with carbon adsorbent materials and cross-linkable polymers and followed by granulation.
