Phenytoin-bupropion interaction: effect on plasma phenytoin concentration in the rat.

The effect of coadministration of bupropion (50 mg kg-1, p.o.) on the disposition profile of phenytoin has been studied in the rat. Plasma phenytoin concentration was measured serially for 10 h by HPLC. Bupropion had little or no effect on the pharmacokinetic parameters of an acutely administered dose of phenytoin. Following multiple doses of phenytoin however (i.e. steady state) the coadministration of bupropion resulted in significant increases in the elimination half-life (t 1/2), the area under the plasma concentration-time curve (AUC) and the time to maximum plasma concentration (tmax). Allowing for the limitations of single dose studies, these results point to a possible pharmacokinetic interaction between bupropion and phenytoin--the clinical significance of which needs to be assessed.