Effect of thioridazine on phenytoin serum concentration: a retrospective study

Serum phenytoin concentrations before and after the addition of thioridazine were retrospectively compared in 27 adults to determine if an interaction occurred between these two drugs. A change in the serum phenytoin concentration of +/- 4 micrograms/ml was considered clinically significant; by this definition four patients (14.8 percent) had an increase, two (7.4 percent) had a decrease, and most (77.8 percent) demonstrated no change. The mean difference was 0.8 microgram/ml +/- 3.7 micrograms/ml and was not found to be statistically significant (p less than 0.1). Clinically important alterations in phenytoin serum concentration as caused by thioridazine appear to be infrequent.