title: Fluvoxamine and fluoxetine do not interact in the same way with the metabolism of the enantiomers of methadone.
abstract: Six and seven addicts treated with racemic methadone (MTD) were comedicated with fluvoxamine (FLV) and fluoxetine (FLX), respectively. The plasma concentrations of both (R)- (the active enantiomer) and (S)-MTD were increased by FLV, whereas only (R)-MTD concentrations were increased by the addition of FLX. This suggests that cytochrome P450IID6 (CYP2D6), an enzyme that is strongly inhibited by FLX, preferentially metabolizes (R)-MTD, whereas CYP1A2, which is strongly inhibited by FLV, metabolizes both enantiomers. The choice of a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor in depressive addicted patients treated with MTD and the possible use of FLX or FLV to potentiate the effects of MTD in some cases of therapeutic failure are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Département Universitaire de Psychiatrie Adulte, CH-Prilly-Lausanne, Switzerland.
authors.forename: C B
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Eap
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bertschy
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Powell
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Baumann
mesh_terms: D005473:Fluoxetine / Q000493:pharmacokinetics* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016666:Fluvoxamine / Q000493:pharmacokinetics* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D008691:Methadone / Q000493:pharmacokinetics* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D009294:Narcotics / Q000493:pharmacokinetics* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors / Q000493:pharmacokinetics* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D013237:Stereoisomerism; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000097:blood* / Q000534:rehabilitation
chemical_list: D005473:Fluoxetine; D016666:Fluvoxamine; D008691:Methadone; D009294:Narcotics; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors