Plasma tricyclic drug levels in amitriptyline-treated depressed patients

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Abstract
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.