Plasma tricyclic drug levels in amitriptyline-treated depressed patients.

In a double-blind phenelzine controlled clinical trial, 49 depressed outpatients were treated with a fixed dose of amitriptyline (AMI) 150 mg/day for 6 weeks. No significant relationships were found between steady-state plasma levels of AMI and its metabolite, nortriptyline, at 4 weeks and therapeutic response at 6 weeks or side effects. In the patient subgroup with more severe endogenous symptoms, there was a general trend for a weak positive association between AMI plasma levels and clinical improvement. Plasma tricyclic determinations appear to have little if any predictive value for antidepressant effect in outpatients treated with AMI.

RCT Entities:   Population Interventions Outcomes