Sunday February 5, 2006
Metoprolol PO:IV conversion - 2.5:1 is a myth ?
IV metoprolol is not FDA-approved for treatment of hypertension but it is in common use and general rule of conversion from PO to IV form is 2.5:1. This comes from a study on 5 healthy volunteers about 30 years ago.
Be aware, this is not the standard by any means. Literature shows coversion effect ranging from 2:1 to 5:1. It may be more safe to disregard any formula and to use initial dosage from 1.25-5 mg and subsequent dosage and frequency depending on the clinical response.
For more detailed discussion and further references, click here to read article from medscape.com (available with free registration) - Am J Health-Syst Pharm 60(2):189-191, 2003
