What is the half-life of digoxin in normal adults?

Digoxin has a half-life of approximately 36 hours in normal adults. This longer half-life is significant because it impacts both the dosing schedule and the monitoring of drug levels in patients taking digoxin, particularly for those with heart failure or atrial fibrillation. The substantial half-life allows for once-a-day dosing in many cases, enabling steady-state concentrations to be reached effectively without frequent dosing.

In clinical practice, understanding the half-life of digoxin is essential, especially in assessing how long the drug will remain active in the body and how it should be managed in patients with renal impairment, as digoxin is cleared primarily by the kidneys. A longer half-life necessitates careful consideration of dose adjustments and the timing of therapeutic drug monitoring to avoid toxicity.