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Bipolar Disorder/lamotrigine serum levels
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Question
What is the recommended serum concentration for lamotrigin in treating BP? I can't find any recommendations.
Does it make sense to monitor levels regularly?
Thanks.
Hi Kurt . . .
When treating people with bipolar disorder with lamotrigine I have observed that many individuals take 200 mg/day and do not benefit. If a 12-hour lamotrigine plasma level is obtained it turns out that few of those with levels over 4.0 mcg/mL improve with an increase in dose while many individuals who do not respond with a plasma level of less than 4.0 mcg/mL do improve when an increase in dose leads to a plasma level between 4.0 and 6.5 mcg/mL.
Best regards . . .
Ivan
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Answers by Expert:
Ivan Goldberg, M.D.
Expertise
I am a psychiatrist/psychopharmacologist with many years of expereince in treating individuals with depressions, manic-depression (Bipolar Disorder), other mood disorders,. I am especially interested in the psychopharmacologic treatment of individuals with so called "treatment-resistant" syndromes.
Experience
I have been on the staff of the National Institute of Mental Health, Columbia's College of Physicians and Surgeons, and the Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center. I am currently in full-time private practice in New York City.
A.B. Johns Hopkins University
M.D. N.Y.U. College of Medicine
I am the creator of Depression Central:http://www.psycom.net/depression.central.html
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