[Role of the pharmacokinetic parameters of carbamazepine in optimizing epilepsy treatment]

In 14 epileptic patients the authors determined concentrations of carbamazepine, its total and relative clearance, the period of half-elimination and the elimination constant. Blood levels of carbamazepine were assayed by gas liquid chromatography. The pharmacokinetic parameters have been found to be important for specifying the causes of dissociation between the level of blood anticonvulsant and the therapeutic effect when the attacks cannot be controlled or there were signs of intoxication. The mean diagrams of fluctuations of blood concentrations of the drug in the interval between single doses indicate the dependence of the clinical effect on the amplitude of fluctuations and create the prerequisites for the optimization of anticonvulsive therapy.