title: A possible diurnal variation in trazodone clearance.
abstract: Diurnal variations in drug metabolism that have clinical consequences have been described for several drugs used in internal medicine but have not been reported for antidepressants. The long half-lives of most antidepressants may obscure such variations. Trazodone hydrochloride has a short half-life compared with other commercially available antidepressants. The authors measured serum levels of trazodone 11 hours after both 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. equal doses of the medication in individuals who had been on these doses for more than 3 days. For patients on other medications in addition to trazodone, serum levels were significantly higher at 8 a.m. than at 8 p.m. (N = 7, P less than 0.01) and approached significance for patients on trazodone alone (N = 8, P = 0.06). Induction of hepatic microsomal enzymes by the other medications may have exaggerated the tendency for trazodone to show diurnal variations in serum levels.
authors.forename: L R
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: Baxter
authors.forename: J N
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Wilkins
authors.forename: G B
authors.initials: GB
authors.lastname: Smith
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002940:Circadian Rhythm; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000188:drug therapy; D001068:Feeding and Eating Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy; D005260:Female; D006207:Half-Life; D006801:Humans; D007700:Kinetics; D008297:Male; D014196:Trazodone / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D014196:Trazodone