ANALYTICAL METHODS FOR THE QUANTITATIVE-DETERMINATION OF SELECTIVE SEROTONIN REUPTAKE INHIBITORS FOR THERAPEUTIC DRUG-MONITORING PURPOSES IN PATIENTS

Five selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) have been introdu ced recently: citalopram, fluoxetine, fluvoxamine, paroxetine and sert raline. Although no therapeutic window has been defined for SSRIs, in contrast to tricyclic antidepressants, analytical methods for therapeu tic drug monitoring of SSRIs are useful in several instances. SSRIs di ffer widely in their chemical structure and in their metabolism. The f act that some of them have N-demethylated metabolites, which are also SSRIs, requires that methods be available which allow therapeutic drug monitoring of the parent compounds and of these active metabolites. M ost procedures are based on prepurification of the SSRIs by liquid-liq uid extraction before they are submitted to separation by chromatograp hic procedures (high-performance liquid chromatography, gas chromatogr aphy, thin layer chromatography) and detection by various detectors (U V, fluorescence, electrochemical detector, nitrogen-phosphorus detecto r, mass spectrometry). This literature review shows that most methods allow quantitative determination of SSRIs in plasma, in the lower ng/m l range, and that they are, therefore, suitable for therapeutic drug m onitoring purposes of this category of drugs.