title: Prediction of steady-state nortriptyline plasma levels by the repeated one-point method.
abstract: 10 psychiatric inpatients with a diagnosis of depression were entered into a prospective study to investigate the repeated one-point method as a method of predicting steady-state concentrations for nortriptyline. Four males and 4 females completed all requirements of the protocol. Single plasma concentrations obtained after the first and second daily doses were found to be accurate predictors of the steady-state minimum plasma concentrations. The difference between the measured and the predicted steady-state minimum values ranged from 2.10 to 32.7 micrograms/L with a standard deviation 10.4 and a mean of 10.5 micrograms/L, assuming a normal distribution. The correlation coefficient of predicted versus measured concentrations was 0.946 with 90% confidence limits, ranging from 0.800 to 0.990. The repeated one-point method was found to be an accurate predictor of steady-state minimum plasma concentrations in patients receiving nortriptyline. This method should allow for individual adjustment of dose while minimising the time required to achieve therapeutic, non-toxic plasma concentrations.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid / Q000379:methods; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000188:drug therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007700:Kinetics; D008297:Male; D009661:Nortriptyline / Q000097:blood* / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D009661:Nortriptyline