This study surveyed serum level monitoring of lithium and carbamazepine in three psychiatric hospitals, to determine how the service is used with respect to affective disorders. The monitoring of lithium serum levels appears to be carried out in relatively close adherence to recommended guidelines. Carbamazepine serum levels are monitored with a similar frequency to lithium, despite the lack of an established therapeutic window for indications other than epilepsy. Changes in drug therapy, which are consequent upon monitoring of serum drug levels, occurred after only 7.5% of lithium and 13.7% of carbamazepine samples. Changes were made independently of serum level results with greater frequency in carbamazepine-treated patients, although less frequently with lithium-treated patients. Adverse consequences of such changes occurred only once, involving lithium. More research is needed to determine the potential benefits of carbamazepine serum level monitoring in affective disorders because the service appears to be overutilized at present.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
customersupport@researchsolutions.com
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.