Ursodiol Dosage

Usual Adult Dose for Biliary Cirrhosis

Primary biliary cirrhosis:
13 to 15 mg/kg/day in 3 to 4 divided doses.

Usual Adult Dose for Gallbladder Disease

Gallstone prevention: 300 mg orally twice a day.

Cholestasis of Pregnancy, Study (n=20): 1.5-2 g/day (20-25 mg/kg/day), given in 3 divided doses.

Gallbladder stone dissolution:
8 to 10 mg/kg/day orally in 2 or 3 divided doses; maintenance therapy: 250 mg daily at bedtime for 6 months to 1 year; use beyond 24 months is not established.

Usual Pediatric Dose for Gallbladder Disease

less than 1 month:
Parenteral nutrition induced cholestasis:
treatment: 30 mg/kg/day orally in 3 divided doses; some centers divide in 2 daily doses
prevention: 5 mg/kg/day orally in 4 divided doses beginning on day of life 3 with initiation of parenteral nutrition; increase dose to 10 mg/kg/day orally in 4 divided doses with initiation of enteral feeding; increase dose to 20 mg/kg/day in 4 divided doses when full enteral feedings reached.

1 month or older:
Biliary atresia: 10 to 15 mg/kg orally once a day.
TPN induced cholestasis, treatment: 30 mg/kg/day orally in 3 divided doses.

1 year or older:
Improvement in the hepatic metabolism of essential fatty acids in cystic fibrosis: 30 mg/kg/day orally in 2 divided doses.

Renal Dose Adjustments

Data not available

Liver Dose Adjustments

Data not available

Precautions

Ursodiol will not dissolve calcified cholesterol stones, radiopaque stones, or radiolucent bile pigment stones.

Gallstone dissolution requires months of therapy, complete dissolution does not occur in all patients, and recurrence of stones within 5 years has been observed in up to 50% of patients who did dissolve their stones.

Dialysis

Data not available

Other Comments

Give ursodiol with food.

See also...