[Effectiveness of combined administration of lithium carbonate and prednisolone in neutropenias].

Use was made of 3 schedules of the combined use of lithium carbonate and prednisolone in patients with neutropenias of different genesis. Prednisolone was used in a single dose on day 10 of lithium carbonate intake (1), prednisolone was included into lithium carbonate therapy (2), and lithium carbonate was included into prednisolone therapy (3). The effect attained with the combined use of prednisolone and lithium carbonate appeared higher as compared to that with the use of each drug alone. The data obtained point to the differences between lithium carbonate and prednisolone if viewed from the standpoint of the mechanism of the neutropoiesis-stimulating action. It is recommended that lithium carbonate (0.3 g thrice a day) may be combined with prednisolone (0.4 mg/kg bw a day). The latter drug should be included into the treatment schedule since the 4th day of lithium therapy for neutropenias of different genesis including those caused by cytostatic treatment and irradiation.