title: Efficiency and safety of oxcarbazepine in mood disorders: a naturalistic study exploring the interest of plasma dosages.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate whether measurement of plasma levels can predict tolerance to oxcarbazepine (OXC).
  
  
  METHODS
  We reviewed medical records to identify all inpatients consecutively treated by OXC at the University Department of Psychiatry in Bordeaux. Adverse effects were rated before treatment onset, at day 3, then every week and at discharge or at discontinuation. Residual hydroxy-OXC concentrations were measured on blood samples at the same periods.
  
  
  RESULTS
  OXC was prescribed to 20 patients with bipolar (n=18) or schizoaffective bipolar-type disorder (n=2). Reported side effects were transient and occurred mostly at the beginning of the treatment. Three patients stopped OXC because of severe cutaneous side effects. Residual hydroxy-OXC plasma levels were similar in patients with or without occurrence of side effects at all times of assessment.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our data suggest that the occurrence of severe side-effects is relatively high with OXC. Measurement of plasma OXC levels does not appear to be of interest in clinical practice since plasma concentrations are not predictive of the occurrence of side effects.
authors.affiliation: Pôle 347 de Psychiatrie Adulte, Centre Hospitalier Charles Perrens, 121 rue de la Béchade, 33076 Bordeaux Cedex, France. dmisdrahi@ch-perrens.fr
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Misdrahi
authors.forename: Marie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tournier
authors.forename: Tiphaine
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Droulout
authors.forename: Adeline
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Grolleau
authors.forename: Karine
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Titier
authors.forename: Mathieu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Molimard
authors.forename: Helene
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Verdoux