Summary
A single oral dose of 75mg nortriptyline was given to a group of 20 depressed elderly patients in hospital. Subsequent plasma nortriptyline concentrations were used to calculate the half-life and clearance of the drug. These measurements were compared with those made previously in 17 healthy young volunteer subjects.
Plasma nortriptyline half-life was longer and clearance slower (p > 0.002) in the elderly group than in the volunteers. There was no correlation of age with either of these parameters within the 2 groups, and no differences in nortriptyline pharmacokinetics could be detected between the male and female volunteer subjects. The possible reasons for these findings and their clinical consequences are discussed.
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Dawling, S., Crome, P. & Braithwaite, R. Pharmacokinetics of Single Oral Doses of Nortriptyline in Depressed Elderly Hospital Patients and Young Healthy Volunteers. Clin Pharmacokinet 5, 394–401 (1980). https://doi.org/10.2165/00003088-198005040-00007
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.2165/00003088-198005040-00007