Intra-daily oscillations in dipropylacetic acid plasma levels with two or three daily doses of dipropylacetamide in epileptic patients.

The diurnal fluctuations in dipropylacetic acid (DPA) plasma levels were examined in ten epileptic patients following a chronic treatment with 3 or 2 daily doses of dipropylacetamide (DPM). The highest/lowest DPA levels ratios observed throughout 24 hrs were 1.18 and 1.36, respectively, but the difference in the data was not statistically significant (p greater than 0.05). The present results indicate that a reduction of the frequency of the daily administrations of the drug can be made with consequent possible improvement in the patient's compliance. The clinical value of the oscillations in DPA serum levels is also revised in the light of the data reported in the literature.