Plasma-serum differences in the assessment of tricyclic antidepressant blood levels.
Concomitant plasma and serum tricyclic determinations were performed on 20 patients chronically administered imipramine (N = 10), amitriptyline (N = 10), desipramine (N = 10), and nortriptyline (N = 10). Plasma levels for these tricyclic antidepressants were significantly greater than the corresponding serum levels. Plasma-serum differences for the secondary amines (DMI/NT) were more than twice those for the tertiary amines (IMI/AMI). The authors thus suggest that clinicians and investigators specify the specific source of blood sample when assessing blood levels of the secondary tricyclic antidepressants.
Coccaro
E F
EF
Psychiatry Service, Bronx Veterans Administration Medical Center, NY 10468.
Adan
F
F
Allen
D
D
Cooper
T B
TB
D000639:Amitriptyline / Q000097:blood; D000929:Antidepressive Agents, Tricyclic / Q000097:blood*; D003891:Desipramine / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D007099:Imipramine / Q000097:blood; D009661:Nortriptyline / Q000097:blood; D010949:Plasma / Q000032:analysis
D000929:Antidepressive Agents, Tricyclic; D000639:Amitriptyline; D009661:Nortriptyline; D007099:Imipramine; D003891:Desipramine