Desipramine clearance in children and adolescents: absence of effect of development and gender.
OBJECTIVE
To examine the influence of development and gender on the pharmacokinetics of desipramine (DMI) in the pediatric population.


METHODS
DMI pharmacokinetic parameters were calculated from 407 routinely drawn, dose- and weight-normalized serum concentrations in 173 youths receiving DMI (90 children, 83 adolescents; 29 were female, 144 were male).


RESULTS
Mean pharmacokinetic parameters for the entire population included dose (3.78 +/- 1.51 mg/kg), weight- and dose-normalized serum concentration (45.41 +/- 47.39 [micrograms/L]/[mg/kg]), and DMI clearance (0.68 +/- 1.51 [L/kg]/hr). No between-group differences for children and adolescents were detected in dose (child, adolescent) (3.73 +/- 1.40 mg/kg, 3.83 +/- 1.68 mg/kg), weight- and dose-normalized serum concentrations (44.52 +/- 39.6 [micrograms/L]/[mg/kg], 46.34 +/- 34.89 [micrograms/L]/[mg/kg]; p = .62), and clearance (0.680 +/- 0.890 [L/kg]/hr, 0.695 +/- 1.05 [L/kg]/hr; p = .103). No between-group gender differences were detected in dose (male, female) (3.83 +/- 1.55 mg, 3.39 +/- 1.84 mg), weight- and dose-normalized serum concentrations (45.15 +/- 37.76 [micrograms/L]/[mg/kg], 47.14 +/- 34.96 [micrograms/L]/mg/kg]; p = .720), and clearance (0.699 +/- 0.89 [L/kg]/hr, 0.606 +/- 0.535 [L/kg]/hr; p = .390).


CONCLUSIONS
These results suggest that age and gender do not significantly influence DMI clearance or dose-normalized serum concentrations in the pediatric population.
Cohen
L G
LG
Department of Pharmacy, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston 02114, USA.
Biederman
J
J
Wilens
T E
TE
Spencer
T J
TJ
Mick
E
E
Faraone
S V
SV
Prince
J
J
Flood
J G
JG
D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D000929:Antidepressive Agents, Tricyclic / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D002648:Child; D003891:Desipramine / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D008657:Metabolic Clearance Rate; D012737:Sex Factors
D000929:Antidepressive Agents, Tricyclic; D003891:Desipramine