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Finn Bengtsson

Publications and source records attributed to Finn Bengtsson.

23 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Serum levels of citalopram and its main metabolites in adolescent patients treated in a naturalistic clinical setting.

The prescribing of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors for adolescents is extensive despite the fact that there are few pharmacokinetic (PK), efficacy, safety, or tolerability studies on this group. This study reports the PK findings from two trials in adolescents treated with citalopram (CIT) in naturalistic clinical settings: one retrospective and one prospective. The aim of our study was to describe serum concentrations of CIT, desmethylcitalopram (DCIT), and didesmethylcitalopram (DDCIT) (trough values in steady state) in adolescents in relation to daily dose and clinical information obtained from therapeutic drug monitoring request forms. Altogether, 44 patients younger than 21 years were scrutinized using this combined open-label approach. The main findings were that (1) there was a pronounced interindividual variability of serum CIT, DCIT, and DDCIT concentrations in all doses prescribed, in agreement with previous studies on adults; on correcting for dose, the coefficient of variance was about 50% for CIT, DCIT, and DDCIT; (2) the transformation of CIT to DCIT and of DCIT to DDCIT was similar within the dose range 20 to 60 mg/day; (3) there was a difference between the sexes on comparing the dose-corrected concentrations of CIT and DCIT, with girls presenting significantly higher values than boys; and (4) there was a strong dose-serum concentration relationship in three identified subgroups of adolescents: (a) nonsmokers (CIT, r(2) = 0.71; DCIT, r(2) = 0.81), (b) girls not taking oral contraceptives (CIT, r(2) = 0.75; DCIT, r(2) = 0.71,), and (c) girls in the last 14 days of the menstrual cycle (CIT, r(2) = 0.68; DCIT, r(2) = 0.64). In summary, the present study tentatively supports influences of sex, oral contraceptives, and smoking habits on the disposition of CIT in younger patients. Hence, future studies on CIT should assess these parameters.

Adolescent↗

Therapeutic drug monitoring data on olanzapine and its N-demethyl metabolite in the naturalistic clinical setting.

Olanzapine (Zyprexa) was approved for general prescription in Sweden in November 1996, and an HPLC-based therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) routine for serum olanzapine (OLA) and its major metabolite, N-demethylolanzapine (DMO) was established in February 1997. During 1997 to 1999, a total of 753 TDM requests for a total of 545 Swedish patients was analyzed. Additional patient information on certain clinical variables was collected on specifically designed TDM request forms. After the exclusion process, samples from 194 patients were found to be eligible for further scrutiny. The concentration-to-dose (C/D) ratio for OLA varied 25-fold and that of DMO 22-fold. Women had a higher (P < 0.01) median C/D ratio for OLA than men (median, 7.2 nmol/L/mg vs 5.2 nmol/L/mg). Nonsmokers had a higher (P < 0.001) C/D ratio for OLA than smokers (median, 9.2 nmol/L/mg vs 4.0 nmol/L/mg). Smokers got higher prescribed (P < 0.05) doses of OLA than nonsmokers did. In the group with reported side effects, the median serum OLA concentration was 22% higher (P < 0.05) than in the group without side effects. Patients co-medicated with carbamazepine had a 71% lower median C/D ratio for OLA than patients on OLA monotherapy. The present TDM-based follow-up suggests that the influence of gender, smoking habits, and certain drug interactions may need to be considered for optimal dosage of OLA. TDM may be used for this purpose more readily in the future.

Administration, Oral↗

Therapeutic drug monitoring of racemic venlafaxine and its main metabolites in an everyday clinical setting.

When Efexor (venlafaxine) became available in Sweden, a therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) service was developed in the authors' laboratory. This analytical service was available to all physicians in the country. From March 1996, to November 1997, 797 serum concentration analyses of venlafaxine (VEN) and its main metabolites, O-desmethylvenlafaxine (ODV), N-desmethylvenlafaxine (NDV), and N,O-didesmethylvenlafaxine (DDV) were requested. These samples, each of which was accompanied by clinical information on a specially designed request form, represented 635 inpatients or outpatients, comprising all ages, treated in a naturalistic setting. The first sample per patient, drawn as a trough value in steady state and with documented concomitant medication, was further evaluated pharmacokinetically (n = 187). The doses prescribed were from 37.5 mg/d to 412.5 mg/d. There was a wide interindividual variability of serum concentrations on each dose level, and the mean coefficient of variation of the dose-corrected concentrations (C/D) was 166% for C/D VEN, 60% for C/D ODV, 151% for C/D NDV, and 59% for C/D DDV. The corresponding CV for the ratio ODV/VEN was 110%. However, within patients over time, the C/D VEN and ODV/VEN variation was low, indicating stability in individual metabolizing capacity. Patients over 65 years of age had significantly higher concentrations of C/D VEN and C/D ODV than the younger patients. Women had higher C/D NDV and C/D DDV, and a higher NDV/VEN ratio than men, and smokers showed lower C/D ODV and C/D DDV than nonsmokers. A number of polycombinations of drugs were assessed for interaction screening, and a trend for lowered ODV/VEN ratio was found, predominantly with concomitant medication with CNS-active drug(s) known to inhibit CYP2D6.

Adolescent↗

Postmortem redistribution of the enantiomers of citalopram and its metabolites: an experimental study in rats.

A rat model was used to study if postmortem redistribution of the S- and R-enantiomers of citalopram (CIT) and its metabolites demethylcitalopram (DCIT) and didemethylcitalopram (DDCIT) occurs after three different subcutaneous dosing procedures with racemic CIT. Two groups underwent chronic administration (20 mg/kg daily) using osmotic pumps. After 10 days, 1 of these groups received an acute-on-chronic drug challenge with a single injection of 100 mg/kg. The third group received the single 100 mg/kg dose only. Heart blood and brain samples were collected antemortem and 1, 3, or 24 h postmortem for enantioselective HPLC analysis. Increased postmortem blood drug and metabolite concentrations compared with corresponding antemortem concentrations were observed in all groups (p < 0.05 to p < 0.001). At 24 h after death, the ratios between postmortem and antemortem blood concentrations were around 3-4 for CIT as well as for the metabolites. In the brain, no major differences between antemortem and postmortem drug and metabolite concentrations were observed. The enantiomeric (S/R) concentrations ratios of CIT and metabolites in blood and brain were of similar magnitude before and after death. No differences between antemortem and postmortem parent drug-to-metabolite (P/M) ratios for CIT/DCIT in blood were observed. Finally, this animal model demonstrates that the S- and R-enantiomers of CIT and its metabolites were redistributed to the same extent postmortem.

Animals↗