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Determination of Fluoxetine and Norfluoxetine Concentrations in Cadaveric Allograft Skin
Author(s) -
Neudeck Brien L.,
Taddonio Thomas E.,
Garner Warren L.,
Welage Lynda S.
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
pharmacotherapy: the journal of human pharmacology and drug therapy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.227
H-Index - 109
eISSN - 1875-9114
pISSN - 0277-0008
DOI - 10.1002/j.1875-9114.1998.tb03908.x
Subject(s) - fluoxetine , medicine , metabolite , cadaveric spasm , drug , pharmacokinetics , penetration (warfare) , active metabolite , pharmacology , anesthesia , surgery , serotonin , receptor , operations research , engineering
Fluoxetine hydrochloride is the sixth most prescribed drug in the United States and is administered to treat major depression. A cadaveric skin donation was obtained from a 46‐year‐old woman who died as a result of a fluoxetine overdose. Due to the potential penetration of the drug and its major metabolite, norfluoxetine, into skin, the safety of using the skin as an allograft was questioned. Our evaluation showed that mean concentrations in skin were 2304 ± 175 and 1353 ± 102 ng/g of skin, respectively. The skin:plasma ratio was 0.41. Clinically, the amount of fluoxetine that can be transferred to an allograft recipient depends on many factors. Based on penetration of drug and metabolite into skin, one would have to evaluate carefully the risk:benefit ratio of using allografts from a donor who died from a fluoxetine overdose.