The British Journal of Psychiatry 146: 439-442 (1985)
© 1985 The Royal College of Psychiatrists
Neuroleptic serum levels measured by radioreceptor assay in patients receiving intramuscular depot neuroleptics. Some preliminary findings
J Turbott, J Villiger and L Hunter
Twenty-six chronic schizophrenic patients on well established depot
neuroleptic regimes with stable doses (16 on fluphenazine decanoate, ten on
flupenthixol decanoate) had serum neuroleptic levels measured by a
radioreceptor assay (RRA) method. The assay was sufficiently sensitive to
measure serum levels in all cases, with acceptable levels of inter-assay
variation. Blood level measurements were repeated on two occasions, at the
same time interval from the last injection, in 18 patients (11 on
fluphenazine decanoate, seven on flupenthixol decanoate) and remained
reasonably stable in most cases, although others showed a wider variation.
Despite a wide range of doses (X 32 fluphenazine decanoate, X 21
flupenthixol decanoate) the serum levels fell in a remarkably narrow range
(X 4, X 6). There was a significant correlation between dose and blood
level for flupenthixol decanoate, but not for fluphenazine decanoate.