Measurement of plasma tricyclics in a Saudi population

Psychiatrists practicing in the Arab world in general have formed the impression that there is a genetic tendency for Arab people to require less than the recommended dose of tricyclic antidepressant drugs. We have measured plasma levels of tricyclics in 120 patients; the degree of clinical response in relation to diagnosis, drug used, dosage, and plasma tricyclic levels was assessed. Our findings suggest that our patient population is no different from its Western counterpart on the basis of the factors evaluated