SERUM MIANSERIN AND AGING

1.Mianserin is a tetracyclic antidepressant with relatively few antich olinergic and cardiovascular side-effects. Its clinical efficacy is co mparable to that of tricyclic antidepressants. It is widely used in Eu rope, especially in elderly outpatients. 2.In the present studies, the authors have evaluated the efficacy of mianserin as well as the effec ts of ageing and concomitant psychotropic drugs on serum mianserin con centrations in 169 depressive psychiatric inpatients. 3.In the patient s the mean serum mianserin concentrations or their interindividual var iations did not differ between the old, middle-aged, and young age gro ups. Furthermore, elderly women and men did not differ from each other for their dose-related drug concentrations. Neither were any differen ces found in serum mianserin concentrations between the older (greater -than-or-equal-to 75 years) and younger elderly (65-74). As is the cas e with TCAs, the co-administration of neuroleptics increased serum mia nserin concentrations in the elderly. When comparing the therapeutic r esponse and serum mianserin concentrations the authors found that the patients with good clinical improvement had higher mean serum mianseri n concentrations than those without efficacy. 4. There seem to be no c linically important changes in the pharmacokinetics of mianserin with advancing age. The present results do not support the claim that the t herapeutic profile of this drug is altered with advancing age. Mianser in can be regarded as an antidepressant with relatively few side-effec ts in the elderly.