Protriptyline dosages

TCAs Once-a-day dosing may be prescribed for maintenance therapy. When the nurse administers the total daily dosage at night, the sedative effects promote sleep, and the adverse reactions appear less troublesome Because protriptyline may produce a mild stimulation in some patients, it is usually not given as a single bedtime dose... 

The Division of Drug Experience of the US Department of Health and Welfare issued a note on five cases of the syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion and drugs to which it has been attributed (1137). All involved drugs with a tricyclic structure one patient was taking imipramine, three carbamazepine, and the others the closely related muscle relaxant cyclobenz-aprine. The dosage of imipramine was 50 mg/day for 3 weeks and the patient was a 72-year-old woman. Other cases have been reported, involving amitriptyline (1137), imipramine, and protriptyline (SEDA-17,17). 

There are no accurate data on the worldwide use of the many tricyclic compounds listed in Table 1, and the availability of particular drugs varies from country to country. The dosage range for all these compounds is 50-300 mg/ day, with the exception of nortriptyline, which has an upper limit of 200 mg, and protriptyline, which is more potent (range 10-60 mg/day). Well-controlled comparisons are few, but it is clear that these drugs resemble each other more than they differ. Their adverse effects will be discussed for the class as a whole, with distinguishing features of specific compounds mentioned when appropriate. 

The interaction between clonidine and the trieyelics is established and clinically important. The incidence is uncertain but it is not seen in all patients. Avoid concurrent use unless the effects can be monitored. Increasing the dosage of clonidine may possibly be effective. The clonidine dosage was apparently successfully titrated in 10 out of 11 hypertensive patients already on amitriptyline or imipramine. Only clomipramine, desipramine and imipramine have been implieated so far, but other tricyclics would be expected to behave similarly (amitriptyline, nortriptyline and protriptyline have been shown to interact in animals ). The tetracyclic antidepressants maprotiline and mianserin do not generally appear to interact with clonidine. The isolated case of hypotension with trazodone is of unknown general importance. 

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