Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamic response of methylprednisolone in premenopausal renal transplant recipients.

Chronic glucocorticoid therapy is prescribed in renal transplant recipients according to empiric dose-tapering schedules, which assume a similar pharmacologic response in men and women. The study objectives were (a) to compare the pharmacokinetics of methylprednisolone in premenopausal renal transplant recipients with previously studied male counterparts and (b) to describe the pharmacodynamic response of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis during chronic steroid therapy. Thirteen stable premenopausal subjects (ages 30 to