Publications by authors named "M Pokrajac"

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to examine and describe adjunctive lamotrigine (LTG) pharmacokinetics in paediatric and young adult patients using a nonlinear mixed effects modelling (NONMEM) approach.

Methods: The study included 53 patients (age range 3-35 years) who were concomitantly treated with carbamazepine (CBZ) and/or valproic acid (VPA). A total of 70 blood samples corresponding to trough levels were available for analysis.

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Background/aim: Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors are the most commonly chosen antidepressants in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). The aim of our study was to assess the influence of fluoxetine (Flu) on motor functions in patients with PD.

Methods: In this prospective, controlled, open-label study, 18 patients with PD and mild depression [(10 < or = Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HDRS) < or = 23)] without dementia [(25 < or = Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE)] were treated with Flu.

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What Is Known And Objective: Lamotrigine metabolism may be substantially altered with concomitant administration of valproic acid and/or carbamazepine. Such alterations may require the adjustment of lamotrigine dose to ensure optimal treatment efficacy and safety.

Methods: The extent of lamotrigine interactions was investigated dependent on age, gender, weight and dose of concomitant carbamazepine and/or valproic acid in 65 patients with epilepsy.

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Because moclobemide pharmacokinetics vary considerably among individuals, monitoring of plasma concentrations lends insight into its pharmacokinetic behavior and enhances its rational use in clinical practice. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether single concentration-time points could adequately predict moclobemide systemic exposure. Pharmacokinetic data (full 7-point pharmacokinetic profiles), obtained from 21 depressive inpatients receiving moclobemide (150 mg 3 times daily), were randomly split into development (n = 18) and validation (n = 16) sets.

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Monitoring valproic acid (VPA) concentrations is especially challenging due to its highly variable pharmacokinetics (PK) and complex interactions with other antiepileptic drugs. We used sparse routine therapeutic drug monitoring data (n=200) from 129 adults with epilepsy to develop a population PK model of VPA, and determine the factors that influence its clearance (CL/F). Patients were on mono VPA therapy, or were concomitantly treated with carbamazepine, phenobarbital, topiramate (TPR), lamotrigine or benzodiazepines.

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