title: The valproate serum level in maintenance therapy for bipolar disorder in Japan.
abstract: The appropriate therapeutic serum valproate level in maintenance therapy for bipolar disorder is not well known. We studied the serum valproate levels in seventeen bipolar I and twenty-four bipolar II disorder outpatients who had been treated with stable doses of valproate successfully for at least 12 months as prophylactic therapy. The trough serum valproate levels were 52.2 +/- 20.4 microg/ml in bipolar I, and 41.0 +/- 18.3 microg/ml in bipolar II disorder patients, respectively. A greater trend towards a higher trough level (p = 0.07) was indicated in the bipolar I disorder group. We speculate that these valproate levels may be an approximation to the appropriate valproate levels in maintenance therapy and that there may be a correlation between the level of valproate required for stabilization and the subtype of the bipolar disorder. However, when interpreting these findings, certain limitations to this study? Need to be taken into account as follows. The sample size was small. We could not look at a group on valproate that had relapsed and a group that had dropped out of maintenance therapy. Further studies are needed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Neurosciences, Hiroshima University Hospital, 1-2-3 Kasumi, Minami-ku, Hiroshima 734-8551, Japan.
authors.forename: Akihiko
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Machino
authors.forename: Hiroaki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Jitsuiki
authors.forename: Yasumasa
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Okamoto
authors.forename: Satoru
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Izumitani
authors.forename: Yasuhiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kimura
authors.forename: Katsuji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.forename: Teruaki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.forename: Takeshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Inoue
authors.forename: Tsukasa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Koyama
authors.forename: Ken
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Wada
authors.forename: Yukari
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Masaoka
authors.forename: Takanobu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sasaki
authors.forename: Reiji
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Yoshimura
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Nakamura
authors.forename: Satsuki
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sumitan
authors.forename: Tetsuro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ohmori
authors.forename: Shigeto
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yamawaki
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000553:Ambulatory Care; D018692:Antimanic Agents / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000097:blood* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001714:Bipolar Disorder / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D016903:Drug Monitoring; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014635:Valproic Acid / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000097:blood* / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D018692:Antimanic Agents; D014635:Valproic Acid