The mean peak whole-blood bismuth level after ingestion of colloidal bismuth subcitrate (214 mg bismuth) was more than 50 mg/liter and occurred at 30 minutes. After ingestion of bismuth subnitrate (205 mg bismuth), however, there was no evidence of bismuth absorption into blood, although in three of the volunteers who took bismuth subnitrate a week after colloidal bismuth subcitrate, baseline levels of blood bismuth were still elevated. Forty-five minutes after taking colloidal bismuth subcitrate, mean plasma levels for all five volunteers were also assessed and were 79.76 microg/liter as compared to blood levels of 47.6 microg/liter.
The rate of renal elimination appears to reach steady state 2 weeks after treatment discontinuation with similar rates of elimination at 6 weeks after discontinuation. The average urinary elimination of bismuth is 2.6% per day in the first two weeks after discontinuation (urine drug concentrations 24 to 250 mcg/mL) suggesting tissue accumulation and slow elimination.