[Comparison of the verapamil concentration of human blood serum and saliva].

Verapamil concentrations were measured in the samples of blood serum and saliva taken at the same time in patients with angina of effort within 0.5-24 hr after administration of a single dose of the drug (14 persons) or the last dose of the course (10 persons). A mean ratio of saliva verapamil concentration to blood serum concentration was 0.85 +/- 0.09 (from 0.19 to 2.69) after a single administration and 0.77 +/- 0.04 (from 0.29 to 1.09) after the course treatment. A statistically significant (p less than 0.001) positive correlation was revealed between verapamil concentrations in blood serum and saliva after a single administration (r = 0.69) and course treatment (r = 0.80). It is suggested that determination of verapamil concentration in the saliva of patients on long-term verapamil medication should be used for a reference estimation of its level in the blood.