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Serum disposition of sertraline, N-desmethylsertraline and paroxetine: a pharmacokinetic evaluation of repeated drug concentration measurements during 6 months of treatment for major depression

✍ Scribed by Margareta Reis; Anna Åberg-Wistedt; Hans Ågren; Peter Höglund; Ann-Charlotte Åkerblad; Finn Bengtsson

Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
Year: 2004
Tongue: English
Weight: 110 KB
Volume: 19
Category: Article
ISSN: 0885-6222
DOI: 10.1002/hup.599

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✦ Synopsis

Abstract

Sertraline and paroxetine are frequently prescribed SSRIs for long‐term treatment of major depression. Nevertheless, continuous follow‐ups of drug concentrations prevailing in patients during the whole treatment period are not available. Hence, in a large phase IV clinical trial, a total of 353 patients with major depression were enrolled for a 6‐month comparison of sertraline (50–150 mg daily) and paroxetine (20–60 mg daily). The present study reports the pharmacokinetic results of up to eight serum samples per patient.

A profound variability was found in the __inter__individual steady state and trough serum levels of sertraline, desmethylsertraline and paroxetine: the coefficient of variation (CV) was 59% for sertraline, 51% for desmethylsertraline, 27% for the ratio desmethylsertraline/sertraline (50 mg/day), and 71% for paroxetine (20 mg/day). The __intra__individual CV for the ratio desmethylsertraline/sertraline was only 19%, indicating __intra__individual metabolizing stability over time. Both sertraline and paroxetine displayed sex differences in the dose‐concentration correlation.

It was possible to predict sertraline, but not paroxetine, steady state levels.

The terminal elimination __t__½ for both drugs after 6 months of treatments was similar to data previously reported from short‐term withdrawal studies.

No correlation between serum drug concentrations and clinical effect was detected for either sertraline or paroxetine.