Inhibition of diazepam metabolism by fluvoxamine: a pharmacokinetic study in normal volunteers.

The effect of fluvoxamine on the pharmacokinetics of diazepam and metabolically derived N-desmethyl-diazepam was investigated in eight healthy volunteers. Each subject received a single oral dose of diazepam (10 mg) in a control session and on the fourth day of a 16-day treatment with fluvoxamine maleate (100 to 150 mg daily). Compared with the control session, concurrent fluvoxamine intake was associated with increased mean peak plasma diazepam concentrations (from 108 to 143 ng/ml, geometric means, difference not significant), with a marked reduction in apparent oral diazepam clearance (from 0.40 to 0.14 ml/min/kg; p < 0.01) and with a prolongation in diazepam half-life (from 51 to 118 hours; p < 0.01). Although peak plasma N-desmethyldiazepam levels were similar in the two sessions, the time required for the metabolite to reach a peak was longer during fluvoxamine intake than in the control session (206 versus 62 hours; p < 0.01). N-Desmethyldiazepam area under the plasma concentration-time curve values were also significantly increased during fluvoxamine treatment. These data suggest that fluvoxamine inhibits the biotransformation of diazepam and its active N-demethylated metabolite. The magnitude of this interaction is likely to have considerable clinical significance.