This Article  • References  • Full text PDF  • Reply to article  • Send to a friend  • Save in My Folder  • Save to citation manager  • Permissions  Citing Articles  • Citation map  • Citing articles on HighWire  • Citing articles on Web of Science (65)  • Contact me when this article is cited  Related Content  • Similar articles in this journal  Social Bookmarking   What's this?

Their Relationship to Clinical Improvement in Schizophrenia

Regina Casper, MD; David L. Garver, MD; Haroutune Dekirmenjian, PhD; Sidney Chang, MD; John M. Davis, MD

Arch Gen Psychiatry. 1980;37(3):301-305.

Abstract
• A controlled study investigated the relationship between steady-state plasma and RBC concentrations of the phenothiazine derivative butaperazine maleate and the therapeutic response in 24 hospitalized schizophrenic patients who received constant maintenance doses of butaperazine during the first two weeks of treatment. Butaperazine concentrations in RBCs correlated significantly with clinical improvement in an inverted U-shaped pattern, whereas plasma levels of butaperazine were not significantly related to clinical response. Both plasma and RBC levels of butaperazine showed large interpatient variations. The level of RBC-bound drug might be a better peripheral correlate of drug levels in the brain than are drug levels in plasma. Thus, monitoring drug levels in RBCs might have an advantage over measuring drug levels in plasma. These findings might not allow generalization to other antipsychotic agents.

Author Affiliations
From the Illinois State Psychiatric Institute, Chicago (Drs Casper, Chang, and Davis); the Department of Psychiatry, Abraham Lincoln School of Medicine, Chicago (Dr Casper); the Department of Psychiatry, University of Cincinnati Medical Center (Dr Garver); the National Psychopharmacology Laboratory, Knoxville, Tenn (Dr Dekirmenjian); and the Pritzker School of Medicine, Chicago (Dr Davis).

Footnotes
Accepted for publication March 30, 1979.

Reprint requests to Illinois State Psychiatric Institute, 1601 W Taylor St, Chicago, IL 60612 (Dr Casper).

CiteULike    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter     What's this?

THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES

Red Blood Cells: A Neglected Compartment in Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics
Hinderling
Pharmacol. Rev. 1997;49:279-295.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Significance of Neuroleptic Dose and Plasma Level in the Pharmacological Treatment of Psychoses
Baldessarini et al.
Arch Gen Psychiatry 1988;45:79-91.
ABSTRACT  

The Interpretation of Plasma Haloperidol Concentrations-Reply
Smith
Arch Gen Psychiatry 1985;42:839-840.
ABSTRACT  

Haloperidol: Plasma Levels and Prolactin Response as Predictors of Clinical Improvement in Schizophrenia: Chemical v Radioreceptor Plasma Level Assays
Smith et al.
Arch Gen Psychiatry 1984;41:1044-1049.
ABSTRACT  

Lithium Ratio In Vitro: Diagnosis and Lithium Carbonate Response in Psychotic Patients
Garver et al.
Arch Gen Psychiatry 1984;41:497-505.
ABSTRACT  

Correlation of Initial Thiothixene Serum Levels and Clinical Response: Comparison of Fluorometric, Gas Chromatographic, and RBC Assays
Yesavage et al.
Arch Gen Psychiatry 1983;40:301-304.
ABSTRACT