I The absorption of effervescent aspirin was studied in three groups of patients during attacks of migraine. The first group received intramuscular thiethylperazine 10 min before effervescent aspirin; the second group received intramuscular metoclopramide 10 min before effervescent aspirin; and the third group received effervescent aspirin alone. 2 Where possible each patient was retested when headache-free but under conditions which were otherwise as similar as possible to those during the acute attack. 3 Intramuscular metoclopramide corrected the impairment of drug absorption that occurred during a migraine attack, whereas thiethylperazine did not. 4 In the group of patients treated with thiethylperazine and aspirin, the impairment of absorption did not correlate with the duration of the symptoms, nor with the severity of the headache and nausea. 5 Patients treated with thiethylperazine and aspirin tended to take longer to recover than those patients treated with metoclopramide and aspirin. However, in the thiethylperazine treated group, the time to recover did not correlate with the salicylate level achieved.

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Using in vitro techniques it was confirmed that whilst the release of procainamide from the conventional formulation (Pronestyl) was rapid, that from the sustained‐release preparation (Cardiorytmin Retard) occurred over a prolonged period. 2 The peak plasma procainamide concentrations after single doses of Cardiorytmin Retard were relatively lower and occurred later than those after single doses of Pronestyl. Furthermore, after reaching a peak, the fall in plasma procainamide concentration was less rapid after the sustained‐release preparation. Early urinary recovery of procainamide in patients and in healthy volunteers was greater after Pronestyl than after Cardiorytmin Retard, though overall recovery in urine was similar. These findings indicate that the absorption of the sustained‐release preparation is slower, though the overall bioavailabilities of the two preparations are almost the same. 3 These results confirm the feasibility of using a sustained‐release procainamide preparation, such as Cardiorytmin Retard, since it would be possible to administer the same amount of drug in fewer daily doses without plasma concentrations becoming ineffective towards the end of each dosing interval.

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