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Relation Between Plasma Antidepressant Concentrations and Clinical Effects

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New Directions in Affective Disorders

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Abstract

Studies of the plasma levels of antidepressant drugs may improve the treatment of depression and related disorders. It is approximately 20 years since plasma levels of the tricyclic antidepressant drugs first began to be measured. There are close to 100 plasma tricyclic level clinical response studies in the literature today. About one-third find a relation and two-thirds do not. The reasons for this controversy are reviewed and some directions for future research presented.

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Authors
  1. Graham D. Burrows
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  2. Iain M. McIntyre
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  3. Kay P. Maguire
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  4. Bruce A. Scoggins
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  5. Trevor R. Norman
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Jerusalem Mental Health Center-Ezrath Nashim, 91001, Jerusalem, Israel

    Bernard Lerer M.D. (Director of Research, Associate Professor) (Director of Research, Associate Professor)

  2. Department of Psychiatry, Hebrew University, 91001, Jerusalem, Israel

    Bernard Lerer M.D. (Director of Research, Associate Professor) (Director of Research, Associate Professor)

  3. University of Pittsburgh, 15213, Pittsburgh, PA, USA

    Samuel Gershon M.D. (Vice President for Research in the Medical and Health Care Division; Associate Vice President for Research in the Health Sciences, Professor of Psychiatry, Associate Research Director for Neurosciences) (Vice President for Research in the Medical and Health Care Division; Associate Vice President for Research in the Health Sciences, Professor of Psychiatry, Associate Research Director for Neurosciences)

  4. Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, 15213, Pittsburgh, PA, USA

    Samuel Gershon M.D. (Vice President for Research in the Medical and Health Care Division; Associate Vice President for Research in the Health Sciences, Professor of Psychiatry, Associate Research Director for Neurosciences) (Vice President for Research in the Medical and Health Care Division; Associate Vice President for Research in the Health Sciences, Professor of Psychiatry, Associate Research Director for Neurosciences)

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© 1989 Springer-Verlag New York Inc.

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Burrows, G.D., McIntyre, I.M., Maguire, K.P., Scoggins, B.A., Norman, T.R. (1989). Relation Between Plasma Antidepressant Concentrations and Clinical Effects. In: Lerer, B., Gershon, S. (eds) New Directions in Affective Disorders. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-3524-8_129

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-3524-8_129

  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-0-387-96769-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4612-3524-8

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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