The effect of anxiety and personality on the pharmacokinetics of oral midazolam

We investigated the relationship between the pharmacokinetic variables of o ral midazolam and patients' state/trait anxiety and personality. Twenty-six patients received the standard 15-mg oral dose for anxiolysis on the eveni ng before otorhinolaryngological surgery. Blood samples were taken over a 9 -hperiod after the administration, and the samples were analyzed for concen trations of midazolam and its two main metabolites by using a gas chromatog raphy-mass spectrometry procedure. The pharmacokinetic variables maximum co ncentration, time to reach the maximum concentration, the elimination half- life, and the area under the curve were calculated from these data. When th e patients were divided into groups with respect to their anxiety and perso nality scores, no significant differences in the pharmacokinetic variables of midazolam could be found. Only small, insignificant changes in the maxim um concentrations were found with respect to nervousness and emotionality. We conclude that personality traits and anxiety levels had no effect on the pharmacokinetic variables of midazolam.