[Detection of aprindine and its metabolites in plasma and urine]

In 36 patients with cardiac arrhythmias (predominantly ventricular premature beats), who were on oral aprindine long-term therapy with 50 to 400 mg daily, plasma levels were measured by gas chromatography after 3.5 hours of the last administration. There was a general dependency of plasma levels on the given dose, however, with considerable overlapping in individual values. In 24 patients the arrhythmias ceased, in six patients there was a clear, in two a moderate improvement. There was no clear therapeutic effect in four patients who were treated with a daily dose of 50 and 100 mg, respectively. Among the 36 patients, three who had plasma levels exceeding 2 micrograms/ml developed tremor and dizziness. After dose-reduction these side effects disappeared. The present results suggest that therapeutic plasma levels of aprindine are in the range of 1.0 to 1.75 micrograms/ml. A plasma level of 2 micrograms/ml should not be exceeded because of the possibility of side-effects. In six healthy males time-concentration curves of aprindine and its metabolites in plasma and urine were measured by gas chromatography. From the results a two-compartment model may be applied, the half-life of elimination was calculated to be 37 hours (plasma) and 31 hours (urine). With respect to the metabolites, in plasma only des-ethyl-aprindine (DEAP), in urine DEAP, hydroxy-, des-phenyl- and des-indanyl-aprindine could be found. Unlike aprindine, the DEAP-concentration curve in plasma showed a very slight decrease until the end of the 96-hour period of determination.