Treatment With Antipsychotics in Pregnancy: Changes in Drug Disposition.

Although pregnancy is known to cause changes in drug pharmacokinetics, little is known about its impact on serum levels of antipsychotics. In this study we retrospectively assessed 201 routine serum antipsychotic therapeutic drug monitoring concentration measurements obtained from a total of 110 pregnancies in 103 women, and 512 measurements from the same women before and after pregnancy. Serum concentrations in the third trimester were significantly lower than baseline for quetiapine (-76%; confidence interval (CI), -83%, -66%; P < 0.

Does level of care, sex, age, or choice of drug influence adherence to treatment with antipsychotics?

Rates of nonadherence during treatment with antipsychotics have been found to vary in a wide range from 20% to 90%. The aim of the present study was to investigate the influence of inpatient versus outpatient status on the adherence to treatment with olanzapine and clozapine. In the period from 1999 to 2007, olanzapine and clozapine were the 2 most frequently analyzed antipsychotics at the Department of Clinical Pharmacology at St.

[Irreversible, non-selective monoamine oxidase inhibitors].

Irreversible, non-selective monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitors were among the first antidepressants. No drugs in this group are currently marketed in Norway, but many physicians will see patients using them, as they can be prescribed on a named patient basis after application to the Norwegian Medicines Agency. This article presents adverse effects, interactions and precautions related to the use of these drugs.

Prescribing patterns and the use of therapeutic drug monitoring of psychotropic medication in a psychiatric high-security unit.

The aim of this study was to investigate the use of psychotropic medication and therapeutic drug monitoring in a high-security psychiatric unit and to compare the doses and serum concentrations both with the recommended intervals and with the doses and serum concentrations in a control group. One hundred thirty-two patients were admitted in the period from January 2000 to December 2005. All available samples were used when comparing serum concentrations and doses with the recommended ranges.

Quetiapine and drug interactions: evidence from a routine therapeutic drug monitoring service.

Objective: The objective of the present study was to investigate the effect of age, gender, and various comedications on the pharmacokinetics of quetiapine in a naturalistic setting.

Method: In total, 2111 serum samples analyzed for quetiapine during the period from June 2001 to December 2004 were included in the study. The samples had been collected for routine therapeutic drug monitoring purposes from 1179 patients treated with quetiapine.

Adverse drug reactions of antidepressants and antipsychotics: experience, knowledge and attitudes among Norwegian psychiatrists.

Efficient prevention of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) requires knowledge about their severity and pharmacological mechanisms and is dependent on reliable data on their frequencies and possible risk factors. The study was conducted to investigate the prescribers' experience and understanding of the ADRs of psychotropic drugs, and their attitude towards reporting these. In a questionnaire, physicians treating adult psychiatric patients were asked which ADRs that they regarded bothersome for some of the most widely used antidepressants and antipsychotics.

Prolonged pharmacokinetic drug interaction between terbinafine and amitriptyline.

Drugs with long terminal half-lives, such as terbinafine, have a potential for involvement in both long-lasting drug-drug interactions and interactions appearing weeks after discontinuation. We present a case report on a 37-year-old white woman with normal CYP2D6 metabolic capacity who was treated with amitriptyline, valproate, and olanzapine when terbinafine was introduced. Shortly thereafter she experienced extreme dryness of the mouth, nausea, and dizziness accompanied by a large increase in the serum concentrations of amitriptyline and nortriptyline.

Serum concentrations of risperidone and 9-hydroxyrisperidone after administration of the long-acting injectable form of risperidone: evidence from a routine therapeutic drug monitoring service.

There is limited documentation on the pharmacokinetics of long-acting intramuscular risperidone in a naturalistic setting. The objective of this study was to investigate the concentrations of risperidone and its active metabolite 9-hydroxyrisperidone as well as the concentration/dose (C/D) ratios achieved after intramuscular depot administration in a routine therapeutic drug monitoring setting. Thirty samples were collected from 10 female and 20 male patients receiving depot injections of risperidone.