[Tricyclic antidepressant plasma levels in depression: a practical guide].

BACKGROUND

Plasma levels can be used to monitor the clinical efficacy of tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs). In practice, the interpretation of plasma levels can be problematical, for several reasons: varying time-intervals between ingestion and blood sampling, the number of times per day a particular antidepressant is administered, the presence of active metabolites and the use of slow-release substances.

AIM

To present realistic recommendations regarding the interpretation of plasma levels of TCA in clinical practice.

METHOD

We studied the relevant literature.

CONCLUSION

On the basis of the literature we make the following recommendations: