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Biomedical subjects

C Artesi

Publications and source records attributed to C Artesi.

10 recordsLinked to original sources

Effects of the antidepressant drug viloxazine on oxcarbazepine and its hydroxylated metabolites in patients with epilepsy.

The effects of Viloxazine (VLX, 100 mg b.i.d. for 10 days) on the steady-state plasma concentrations of Oxcarbazepine (OXC), its active metabolite 10, 11-dihydro-10-hydroxy-carbazepine (MHD) and the corresponding diol (DHD) were studied in a randomized, double-blind cross-over placebo-controlled trial in 6 epileptic patients stabilized on a fixed dosage of OXC. Administration of VLX resulted in an 11% increase in the plasma concentration of MHD (p = 0.003) associated with a 31% fall in DHD levels (p = 0.0001). Plasma concentrations of unchanged OXC were unaffected by VLX. No changes in seizure frequency nor signs of drug toxicity were observed during the study. Although VLX may inhibit the conversion of MHD to the inactive diol, the interaction is unlikely to be of clinical significance.

Adult↗

A liquid chromatographic assay using a high-speed column for the determination of lamotrigine, a new antiepileptic drug, in human plasma.

A sensitive, specific and rapid liquid-chromatographic method for the determination of the new antiepileptic drug lamotrigine (LTG) in human plasma is described. The method involves the use of a commercially available 3-microns particle size normal-phase column and a microflow-cell-equipped ultraviolet detector. Extraction is carried out with ethyl acetate after alkalinization on a 100-microliters plasma sample containing LTG and 3,5-diamino-6-(2-methoxyphenyl)-1,2,4-triazine as internal standard. The residue is reconstituted with 50 microliters of ethanol, and 5 microliters of the final solution is injected into the column. Elution is carried out at 35 degrees C using n-hexane/absolute ethanol/35% ammonia (80/20/0.25 by volume) as mobile phase at a flow rate of 2.0 ml/min. Detection is at 313 nm. The chromatographic separation requires < 3 min and the sensitivity limit is < 0.1 mg/L. Recovery is 88-96.2%, whereas within-day and day-to-day coefficients of variation are between 4.1 and 7.7%.

Anticonvulsants↗

Impairment of carbamazepine-10, 11-epoxide elimination by valnoctamide, a valpromide isomer, in healthy subjects.

The effect of the valpromide isomer valnoctamide (VCD, 200 mg three times daily for 8 days), an over-the-counter tranquillizer, on the elimination kinetics of a single oral dose of carbamazepine-10, 11-epoxide (CBZ-E, 100 mg) was investigated in healthy subjects. During VCD treatment, the half-life of CBZ-E was prolonged significantly compared with control (19.7 +/- 6.7 h vs 6.9 +/- 2.0 h, means +/- s.d., P less than 0.01), and its oral clearance decreased four-fold (from 109.6 +/- 30.7 to 28.8 +/- 11.1 ml h-1 kg-1, P less than 0.01). These findings indicate that VCM, like valpromide, strongly inhibits epoxide hydrolase in vivo.

Administration, Oral↗

Elevation of plasma phenytoin by viloxazine in epileptic patients: a clinically significant drug interaction.

The effect of viloxazine (150-300 mg daily for 21 days) on plasma phenytoin levels at steady state was examined in 10 epileptic patients stabilised on a fixed phenytoin dosage. After starting viloxazine treatment, plasma phenytoin concentrations increased by 37% on average (range 7-94%) from a mean value of 18.8 micrograms/ml at baseline to a mean value of 25.7 micrograms/ml during the last week of combined therapy. In four patients the rise in plasma phenytoin was associated with the development of signs of phenytoin toxicity. Discontinuation of viloxazine resulted in return of plasma phenytoin towards baseline values and disappearance of the clinical symptoms. The mechanism of interaction probably involves inhibition of phenytoin metabolism by viloxazine. Careful monitoring of plasma phenytoin levels is recommended in patients treated with phenytoin who need to be started on viloxazine therapy.

Adult↗

Evaluation of tricyclic antidepressant plasma levels by an automated enzyme immunoassay (EMIT) in comparison to a high-performance liquid chromatographic method.

A new homogeneous enzyme immunoassay technique (EMIT) for the measurement of plasma levels of amitriptyline, nortriptyline, imipramine, and desipramine was used with an automated procedure and the results were compared to those of a high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method. Precision of the EMIT test was similar to that of the HPLC method with within-day coefficients of variation in the range of 3.9-10.9% (EMIT) and 3.9-9.6% (HPLC). The day-to-day coefficients of variation ranged from 4.4 to 11.7% for EMIT and from 6.1 to 8.4% for HPLC. Samples from 124 patients were analyzed by both methods and a good correlation was observed for all the four drugs. A paired t test indicated no significant difference for the EMIT and HPLC values. No significant interferences were observed between the tricyclics tested and other commonly associated drugs, such as benzodiazepines and neuroleptics. The new EMIT assay proved to be rapid and easy to perform and showed sufficient reliability and reproducibility to be used for either emergency or routine analysis.

Antidepressive Agents, Tricyclic↗

An epidemiological study of the clinical impact of pharmacokinetic anticonvulsant drug interactions based on serum drug level analysis.

The impact of pharmacokinetic anticonvulsant drug interactions on prescribing patterns and serum drug level distribution in a routine clinical setting was evaluated in a population of 848 patients chronically treated with phenytoin, phenobarbital, carbamazepine and valproic acid (either alone or as two-drug combinations) and referred for therapeutic drug monitoring for the first time. While dosages of each drug did not differ significantly between monotherapy and polytherapy patients, significant differences in serum level distribution were found. The proportion of patients with suboptimal serum carbamazepine and valproic acid levels (less than 4 and less than 50 micrograms/ml, respectively) was much greater in the polytherapy than in the monotherapy groups, probably as a consequence of induction of carbamazepine and valproic acid metabolism by combined anticonvulsants. Conversely, the proportion of phenobarbital levels above the upper limit of the optimal range (40 micrograms/ml) was greater among patients receiving phenytoin in combination than among patients taking phenobarbital alone, presumably as a result of phenytoin-induced inhibition of barbiturate metabolism. The therapeutic implications of these findings are discussed.

Adolescent↗

Pharmacokinetics of the antidepressant drug viloxazine in normal subjects and in epileptic patients receiving chronic anticonvulsant treatment.

In order to evaluate the influence of chronic antiepileptic drug treatment on the kinetics of the antidepressant viloxazine (VLX), six drug-free control subjects and six epileptic patients treated with one or two anticonvulsants (phenobarbital, carbamazepine or phenytoin) were given a single oral dose of VLX (200 mg). On a separate occasion, the patients were also given 200 mg VLX by IV infusion. Plasma VLX levels were determined by GLC. Following oral dosing, VLX was rapidly absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract (peak levels at 0.5-4 h); plasma level profiles showed a considerable interindividual variability but did not differ significantly between patients and controls. Terminal half-lives were 4.3 +/- 1.5 h in the patients and 4.3 +/- 1.8 h in the controls. Clearance and volume of distribution calculated after IV dosing in the patients were 124 +/- 11 ml h-1 kg-1 and 0.73 +/- 0.28 l/kg, respectively. The absolute oral availability was 85 +/- 14%. At variance with findings reported for other antidepressants, VLX kinetics do not appear to be significantly altered by concurrent treatment with enzyme-inducing antiepileptic drugs.

Adult↗

Carbamazepine-valnoctamide interaction in epileptic patients: in vitro/in vivo correlation.

Six patients stabilized with carbamazepine (CBZ) therapy received an 8-day "add-on" supplement of valnoctamide (VCD), a tranquilizer available over the counter (OTC) in several European countries that exhibits promising anticonvulsant activity in animal models. During VCD intake, serum levels of the active CBZ metabolite, carbamazepine-10,11-epoxide (CBZ-E), increased fivefold from 1.5 +/- 0.7 micrograms/ml at baseline to 7.4 +/- 4.4 micrograms/ml after 4 days of VCD therapy and 7.7 +/- 3.1 micrograms/ml after 7 days of VCD therapy (means +/- SD, p < 0.01). In 4 patients, the increase in serum CBZ-E levels was associated with clinical signs of CBZ intoxication. CBZ-E levels returned to baseline after VCD therapy was discontinued. Serum CBZ levels remained stable throughout the study. The interaction observed in this study is similar to that described in patients treated with CBZ and valpromide (VPD, an isomer of VCD). In a mechanistic study, therapeutic concentrations of VCD inhibited hydrolysis of styrene oxide in human liver microsome preparations. Thus, VCD is a potent inhibitor of microsomal epoxide hydrolase (IC50 15 microM). There was a striking similarity between in vitro and in vivo inhibition potencies. In this study, VCD clearance was higher in epileptic patients (treated with CBZ) than in healthy subjects.

Adult↗