Premium
Low‐dose phenobarbitone as an indicator of compliance with drug therapy.
Author(s) -
Feely M,
Cooke J,
Price D,
Singleton S,
Mehta A,
Bradford L,
Calvert R
Publication year - 1987
Publication title -
british journal of clinical pharmacology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.216
H-Index - 146
eISSN - 1365-2125
pISSN - 0306-5251
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2125.1987.tb03139.x
Subject(s) - drug , medicine , pharmacology , compliance (psychology) , pharmacotherapy , intensive care medicine , psychology , social psychology
1 To assess the potential value of low‐dose phenobarbitone (PB) as a marker of compliance we studied the relationship between plasma level of PB and dose (2‐16 mg daily) following 3 or 4 weeks treatment in healthy volunteers (n = 26) and in‐patient volunteers (n = 7). 2 Also, to simulate poor compliance, PB levels were measured in some volunteers following alternate‐day (n = 6) or short‐term (n = 5) treatment with similar doses. These levels, expressed as the level: dose ratios (LDRs), did not overlap with those obtained following 3 or 4 weeks of daily PB intake. 3 To evaluate the efficacy of this marker in patients taking other drugs we gave a group of out‐patients (n = 24) compound tablets containing B vitamins and a small dose (16 mg) of PB; their compliance over 2‐5 weeks was assessed both by measuring plasma levels of PB and residual tablet counting. 4 In the latter study, as well as providing absolute evidence of good compliance by many patients, the plasma levels of PB proved particularly valuable when non‐compliant individuals ‘forgot’ to bring their residual tablets. 5 We suggest that phenobarbitone, in doses low enough to be non‐sedative and non‐enzyme inducing, is potentially useful as a pharmacological indicator of compliance with drug therapy.