Abstract
In 12 institutionalized epilepsy patients who had been treated 19 months (SD +/- 5) with valproic acid, 27.0 mg/kg (SD +/- 11.9), phenytoin, 6.33 mg/kg (SD +/- 1.36), and co-anticonvulsants, the mean percentage of daily free valproic acid was 11.72 (SD +/- 2.10) and of phenytoin 20.39 (SD +/- 3.32). By serial within-day blood samplings for a.m., noon, and p.m. periods, the diurnal variation of percentage free valproic acid and phenytoin was determined for each patient. For morning and noon periods the variations in the percentages of free valproic acid and phenytoin were independent of each other, correlation coefficients (r) being zero for each period. In contrast, for early p.m. the correlation coefficient was highly significant at r = 0.894 (p less than 0.01). It is apparent that diurnal variations in the percentages of free valproic acid and phenytoin occur even in patients who have been treated with these compounds for more than a year.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
