Recovery of Platelet Function after Withdrawal of Cilostazol Administered Orally for a Long Period

To clarify the recovery of platelet function after abrupt withdrawal of cilostazol, we studied platelet function and cilostazol concentration in elderly who received cilostazol, 100 mg twice a day (200 mg/day), for a long period. After interviewing the time of final cilostazol intake, platelet aggregability was determined with an aggregometer using four different concentrations of adenosine-5'-diphosphate as an inducer, which showed the grading curve (GC) type and platetet aggregatory threshold index (PATI). Serum cilostazol concentration was also determined by high-performance liquid chromatography. The GC type and PATI showed suppressed platelet function until 15 hours after withdrawal in half of patients. Bleeding time measured by the Simplate method was prolonged within 4 hours, but recovered by 12 hours after the withdrawal. Some serum cilostazol concentrations were still high 15 hours after withdrawal, while platelets were inhibited even in patients with low serum concentration of cilostazol. In the group receiving the drug for less than 6 months, PATI correlated with serum cilostazol concentration, but platelets in the long-term administration group (more than 48 months) were suppressed at the low serum cilostazol concentration. These findings indicated that platelet function recovered within 12−16 hours after withdrawal in these patients.