PHARMACOKINETICS AND CLINICAL EFFECTS OF A SINGLE ORAL DOSE OF TRAZODONE IN THE DOMESTIC GOAT (CAPRA HIRCUS) AS A MODEL FOR WILD RUMINANTS.

Trazodone is an antianxiety medication commonly used in human and veterinary medicine. Stress-related trauma is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in wild ruminant species. Trazodone could reduce stress and allow safer capture and handling, thus having a positive effect on their welfare. The objective of this study was to describe the clinical effects and pharmacokinetic profile of an oral dose of trazodone in domestic goats (Capra hircus) as a model for wild ruminants. A pilot study using ethograms and accelerometers identified an oral dose of 10 mg/kg as optimal to reduce activity levels. This dose resulted in a 502% increase in time spent sleeping (P=0.0016) and a 623% increase in time spent lying down (P=0.01). Additionally, there were reductions of 72% in time spent grooming (P=0.02), 49% in time spent moving (P=0.01), and 87% in time spent observing (P=0.0002). Activity levels were significantly decreased by 31% for 4 hr following administration (P=0.049). There were no observed adverse effects. Time spent eating or ruminating was not affected by trazodone administration (P > 0.05). The pharmacokinetics of trazodone following a single oral dose of 10 mg/kg in 7 goats was assessed. All animals achieved plasma concentrations over 130 ng/ml, a level considered therapeutic in humans and dogs, for a mean of 6.4 ± 5.0 hr. Mean terminal half-life was 10.55 ± 6.80 hr. All goats achieved maximum concentration within 5-15 min and still had detectable plasma levels at 24 hr. Trazodone appears promising to decrease stress in exotic ruminant species. Further research is warranted to establish its efficacy in other ruminant species and clinical situations.

A fatal case by a suicide kit containing sodium nitrite ordered on the internet.

Fatal sodium nitrite poisonings are rare in the forensic context. The present work describes a first fatal case of sodium nitrite contained in a suicide kit that the victim acquired over the internet. The results of the autopsy showed general signs of asphyxia, such as intense cyanosis of the extremities, brown-gray-blue-red livor mortis, and some Tardieu petechiae in addition to intense visceral congestion. It is clear that forensic experts must be aware of the proliferation of this market and the risks of improper selling of these substances through suicide support networks available on the internet. The lack of knowledge of this reality may become unidentifiable, when toxicological analysis contemplates only the most classical and frequent substances involved in poisoning and reinforce the importance of a careful analysis of the death scene.

Development of HPLC method coupled with fluorescence detection for simultaneous determination of donepezil HCl and trazodone HCl in spiked human plasma and tablets dosage forms.

OBJECTIVES: Elderly people with dementia are commonly suffered from sleep disorders. So, the use of Donepezil hydrochloride as anti-Alzheimer drug and Trazodone hydrochloride as antidepressants with hypnotic action is very important in these cases. This study reports about novel and sensitive RP-HPLC method with fluorescence detection for simultaneous bioanalytical determination of Donepezil hydrochloride (DON) and co-administered, Trazodone hydrochloride (TRA) in their pure forms, spiked human plasma and tablets. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Elution of both drugs was achieved with excellent resolution using a RP-C18 Hypersil Gold column and an isocratic mobile phase consisting of phosphate buffer (50mm, pH 4.6): methanol: acetonitrile (60:35:5) with a flow rate of 1.5mL/min and 20µL as injection volume. A Fluorescence detector at 300nm for excitation and 400nm for emission was used. RESULTS: Retention times were 4.3 and 6.3min for Donepezil hydrochloride and Trazodone hydrochloride, respectively. Linearity ranges of the assay were 25-1000 and 50-5000ng/mL and the limits of detection (LOD) and quantitation (LOQ) were 8.52, 15.47 and 25.81, 46.89ng/mL for Donepezil hydrochloride and Trazodone hydrochloride, respectively. CONCLUSION: The high sensitivity of the proposed method enabled the successful determination of the cited drugs in spiked human plasma with mean percentage of recoveries of 91.58±3.34 and 100.30±5.11 for Donepezil hydrochloride and Trazodone hydrochloride, respectively.

Juvenile rat and pediatric trazodone studies: how to gain extra sensitivity to overcome bioanalytical challenges.

AIM: Trazodone (TZD) is used for the treatment of depression in adults and, off-label, as a sleep medication in adult and pediatric populations. The off-label use is well documented, however further clinical studies are needed to confirm its efficacy and safety for the treatment of sleep disorders. In this scenario, we developed a bioanalytical method to quantify low TZD concentrations in samples collected by capillary microsampling (CMS) to support dose finding, Good Laboratory Practice juvenile rat toxicokinetic and upcoming pediatric studies. METHODOLOGY: A method using only 8 µl of plasma was developed and successfully used for analyzing CMS samples from juvenile rats throughout toxicokinetic study. CONCLUSION: By harmoniously maximizing each analytical step, we achieved a sensitive method to quantify TZD in CMS samples.

Pharmacokinetics and selected pharmacodynamics of trazodone following intravenous and oral administration to horses undergoing fitness training.

OBJECTIVE To measure concentrations of trazodone and its major metabolite in plasma and urine after administration to healthy horses and concurrently assess selected physiologic and behavioral effects of the drug. ANIMALS 11 Thoroughbred horses enrolled in a fitness training program. PROCEDURES In a pilot investigation, 4 horses received trazodone IV (n = 2) or orally (2) to select a dose for the full study; 1 horse received a vehicle control treatment IV. For the full study, trazodone was initially administered IV (1.5 mg/kg) to 6 horses and subsequently given orally (4 mg/kg), with a 5-week washout period between treatments. Blood and urine samples were collected prior to drug administration and at multiple time points up to 48 hours afterward. Samples were analyzed for trazodone and metabolite concentrations, and pharmacokinetic parameters were determined; plasma drug concentrations following IV administration best fit a 3-compartment model. Behavioral and physiologic effects were assessed. RESULTS After IV administration, total clearance of trazodone was 6.85 ± 2.80 mL/min/kg, volume of distribution at steady state was 1.06 ± 0.07 L/kg, and elimination half-life was 8.58 ± 1.88 hours. Terminal phase half-life was 7.11 ± 1.70 hours after oral administration. Horses had signs of aggression and excitation, tremors, and ataxia at the highest IV dose (2 mg/kg) in the pilot investigation. After IV drug administration in the full study (1.5 mg/kg), horses were ataxic and had tremors; sedation was evident after oral administration. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Administration of trazodone to horses elicited a wide range of effects. Additional study is warranted before clinical use of trazodone in horses can be recommended.

Enhanced chemiluminescence for trazodone trace analysis based on acidic permanganate oxidation in concurrent presence of rhodamine 6G.

A new sensitized chemiluminescence method by acidic permanganate oxidation was developed for the sensitive determination of trazodone. A fluorescent dye as used rhodamine 6G to increase a chemiluminescence intensity. Under optimum conditions, the liner range of the calibration curve was obtained for 1-5000 nmol/L. The limit of detection was calculated from 3σ of a blank was 0.23 nmol/L. The coexistent ions and substances had no interference with the chemiluminescence measurement. The chemiluminescence spectra were measured to elucidate a possible mechanism for the system. The present method was satisfactorily used in the determination of the drugs in pharmaceutical samples and animal serums.

Quantitative analysis of trazodone in human plasma by using HPLC-fluorescence detector coupled with strong cation exchange chromatographic column: application to a pharmacokinetic study in Chinese healthy volunteers.

A simple, selective, and sensitive high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) procedure has been developed for determination of trazodone in human plasma. Prazosin was employed as the internal standard (IS). Sample preparation involved liquid-liquid extraction by methyl tert-butyl ether after alkalinization with ammonia. The HPLC separation was performed on a CAPCELL PAK SCX column (250mm×4.6mm, 5.0µm, Shiseido, Japan) with a mobile phase of acetonitrile/80mmol/L ammonium phosphate (pH adjusted to 6.0) (60:40, v/v) at a flow rate of 1.2mL/min. The peaks were detected by using fluorescence detector (excitation wavelength 320nm and emission wavelength 440nm). The extraction recovery was 72.6-88.3% and the method was over the concentration range of 5.0-2486ng/mL with a lower limit of quantitation (LLOQ) of 5.0ng/mL using 300µL of plasma. The intra- and inter-day accuracy of the method at three concentrations ranged from 96.7% to 104.2% for trazodone with precision of 2.9-3.7%. This validated method was successfully applied to a pharmacokinetic study enrolling 12 Chinese volunteers administered a single oral trazodone hydrochloride extended-release tablet of 75mg.

Pharmacokinetics, bioavailability, and hemodynamic effects of trazodone after intravenous and oral administration of a single dose to dogs.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the pharmacokinetics and hemodynamic effects of trazodone after IV and oral administration in dogs and bioavailability after oral administration. ANIMALS: 6 adult Beagles. PROCEDURES: Dogs received trazodone HCl (8 mg/kg) orally and IV in a randomized controlled crossover design. Blood samples were collected at various times after administration. Heart rates and indirectly measured blood pressures of dogs and plasma concentrations and pharmacokinetics of trazodone were determined. RESULTS: Following IV administration, the mean ± SD elimination half-life, apparent volume of distribution, and plasma total body clearance were 169 ± 53 minutes, 2.53 ± 0.47 L/kg, and 11.15 ± 3.56 mL/min/kg, respectively. Following oral administration, the mean ± SD elimination half-life and absolute bioavailability were 166 ± 47 minutes and 84.6 ± 13.2%, respectively. Maximum plasma concentration following oral administration was 1.3 ± 0.5 µ/mL, and time to maximum plasma concentration was 445 ± 271 minutes. After IV administration, all dogs immediately developed transient tachycardia (184.3 ± 8.0 beats/min), and 3 of 6 dogs developed aggression. Increase in heart rate was significantly associated with increase in plasma drug concentration following IV administration. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Results of this study indicated oral administration of trazodone resulted in acceptable absolute bioavailability, with substantial variability in time to maximum plasma concentration. Individualized approaches in dosing intervals may be necessary for dogs receiving oral trazodone. An orally administered dose of 8 mg/kg was well tolerated in dogs; IV administration of a dose of 8 mg/kg caused substantial adverse effects, including tachycardia and behavior disinhibition.

The trazodone metabolite meta-chlorophenylpiperazine can cause false-positive urine amphetamine immunoassay results.

Amphetamines and methamphetamines are part of an important class of drugs included in most urine drugs of abuse screening panels, and a common assay to detect these drugs is the Amphetamines II immunoassay (Roche Diagnostics). To demonstrate that meta-chlorophenylpiperazine (m-CPP), a trazodone metabolite, cross-reacts in the Amphetamines II assay, we tested reference standards of m-CPP at various concentrations (200 to 20,000 g/L). We also tested real patient urine samples containing m-CPP (detected and quantified by HPLC) with no detectable amphetamine, methamphetamine, or MDMA (demonstrated by GC MS). In both the m-CPP standards and the patient urine samples, we found a strong association between m-CPP concentration and Amphetamines II immunoreactivity (r = 0.990 for the urine samples). Further, we found that patients taking trazodone can produce urine with sufficient m-CPP to result in false-positive Amphetamines II results. At our institution, false-positive amphetamine results occur not infrequently in patients taking trazodone with at least 8 trazodone-associated false-positive results during a single 26-day period. Laboratories should remain cognizant of this interference when interpreting results of this assay.

Quantification of 4 antidepressants and a metabolite by LC-MS for therapeutic drug monitoring.

A liquid chromatography method coupled to mass spectrometry was developed for the quantification of bupropion, its metabolite hydroxy-bupropion, moclobemide, reboxetine and trazodone in human plasma. The validation of the analytical procedure was assessed according to Société Française des Sciences et Techniques Pharmaceutiques and the latest Food and Drug Administration guidelines. The sample preparation was performed with 0.5 mL of plasma extracted on a cation-exchange solid phase 96-well plate. The separation was achieved in 14 min on a C18 XBridge column (2.1 mm×100 mm, 3.5 µm) using a 50 mM ammonium acetate pH 9/acetonitrile mobile phase in gradient mode. The compounds of interest were analysed in the single ion monitoring mode on a single quadrupole mass spectrometer working in positive electrospray ionisation mode. Two ions were selected per molecule to increase the number of identification points and to avoid as much as possible any false positives. Since selectivity is always a critical point for routine therapeutic drug monitoring, more than sixty common comedications for the psychiatric population were tested. For each analyte, the analytical procedure was validated to cover the common range of concentrations measured in plasma samples: 1-400 ng/mL for reboxetine and bupropion, 2-2000 ng/mL for hydroxy-bupropion, moclobemide, and trazodone. For all investigated compounds, reliable performance in terms of accuracy, precision, trueness, recovery, selectivity and stability was obtained. One year after its implementation in a routine process, this method demonstrated a high robustness with accurate values over the wide concentration range commonly observed among a psychiatric population.

Dose proportionality of once-daily trazodone extended-release caplets under fasting conditions.

An extended-release trazodone HCl formulation, Trazodone Contramid OAD (TzCOAD), was developed as scored 150-mg and 300-mg caplets for once-daily administration. Dose proportionality of intact and bisected caplets (dose range, 75-375 mg) was evaluated in a single-dose, randomized, 5-way crossover study. Plasma trazodone and m-chlorophenylpiperazine (mCPP) levels were determined using a validated liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectroscopy method. Dose proportionality was assessed based on confidence intervals for logarithmically transformed, dose-normalized maximum plasma concentration (C(max)), area under the plasma concentration versus time data pairs (AUC(0-t)), and area under the curve from time 0 to infinity (AUC(0-∞)) in relation to the acceptance range of 80% to 125% (bioequivalence approach). The power method, combined with confidence interval criteria, was also used to assess proportionality. The conclusion of dose proportionality was generally supported using the bioequivalence approach. Based on the power model, values of the slope and corresponding 90% confidence interval for trazodone C(max), AUC(0-t), and AUC(0-∞) were 0.948 (0.899-0.997), 0.920 (0.875-0.964), and 0.913 (0.867-0.958), respectively. All were within the acceptance interval (0.861-1.139). Results for mCPP also fell within the acceptance interval. TzCOAD exhibits linear pharmacokinetics over doses ranging from 75 to 375 mg and maintains its controlled-release properties when the caplets are bisected along the score line.

Herb-drug interaction of silymarin or silibinin on the pharmacokinetics of trazodone in rats.

Silymarin, one of the most popular herbal medicines, has been widely used for its hepatoprotective effects. This study investigates the effects of repeated dose of silymarin and its major ingredient, silibinin, on the pharmacokinetics of the antidepressant trazodone. Treatment groups included vehicle control group, concomitant silymarin at 1.0g/kg dose, and four 7-day repeated dose induction groups of 0.5 and 1.0g/kg silymarin and 0.175 and 0.35g/kg silibinin. Microdialysis coupled with high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used to simultaneously monitor blood and bile concentrations of trazodone in the rats. Results indicate that pretreatment with an extremely high dose of 1.0g/kg silymarin significantly decreases trazodone's area under concentration curve (AUC), distribution half-life (t(1/2,alpha)), elimination half-life (t(1/2,beta)), and mean residence time (MRT). In conclusion, the present study finds no marked effects of silymarin and silibinin on the pharmacokinetics of trazodone under normal daily doses and the relative safety of taking the herb with trazodone.

High throughput and sensitive determination of trazodone and its primary metabolite, m-chlorophenylpiperazine, in human plasma by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

A precise, sensitive and high throughput liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method for simultaneous determination of trazodone (TRZ) and its primary metabolite, m-chlorophenylpiperazine (mCPP), in human plasma was developed and validated. The analytes and the internal standard-nefazodone were extracted from 500 microL aliquots of human plasma via liquid-liquid extraction in n-hexane. Chromatographic separation was achieved in a run time of 2.5 min on a Betabasic cyano column (100 mm x 2.1 mm, 5 microm) under isocratic conditions. Detection of analytes and IS was done by tandem mass spectrometry, operating in positive ion and multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) acquisition mode. The protonated precursor to product ion transitions monitored for TRZ, mCPP and IS were m/z 372.2-->176.2, 197.2-->118.1 and 470.5-->274.6 respectively. The method was fully validated for its sensitivity, selectivity, accuracy and precision, matrix effect, stability study and dilution integrity. A linear dynamic range of 10.0-3000.0 ng/mL for TRZ and 0.2-60.0 ng/mL for mCPP was evaluated with mean correlation coefficient (r) of 0.9986 and 0.9990 respectively. The intra-batch and inter-batch precision (%CV) across five validation runs (LLOQ, lower limit of quantitation; LQC, low quality control; MQC, middle quality control; HQC, high quality control and ULOQ, upper limit of quantitation) was < or =8.4% for both the analytes. The method was successfully applied to a bioequivalence study of 100mg trazodone tablet formulation in 36 healthy Indian male subjects under fasting and fed conditions.

HPLC analysis of the antidepressant trazodone and its main metabolite m-CPP in human plasma.

The present paper deals with the development of a rapid and feasible high-performance liquid chromatographic method for the determination of trazodone and its main active metabolite 3-(1-clorophenyl)piperazine (m-CPP) in human plasma. Trazodone is a second-generation antidepressant with serotonin antagonist activity. The metabolite seems to be involved in the onset of some side effects of trazodone therapy, thus its determination is very important during therapeutic drug monitoring. Separation was achieved using a C8 reversed-phase column and a mobile phase composed of aqueous phosphate buffer (70%), containing triethylamine, at pH 3.5 and acetonitrile (30%). The UV detector was set at 255 nm and loxapine was used as the internal standard. An original pre-treatment procedure of plasma samples was developed, based on solid-phase extraction with C8 reversed phase cartridges (50mg, 1 mL). The obtained extraction yields values were higher than 90% and precision, expressed as R.S.D., was lower than 5.6%. The method was successfully applied to plasma samples from depressed patients undergoing therapy with trazodone; accuracy results were satisfactory (recovery >91%). Thus, the method seems to be suitable for the therapeutic drug monitoring of trazodone and its main active metabolite in depressed patients' plasma.

The investigation of electrospun polymer nanofibers as a solid-phase extraction sorbent for the determination of trazodone in human plasma.

A novel micro-extraction procedure was developed through the use of an electrospun polymer nanofiber as a solid-phase extraction (SPE) sorbent to directly extract trazodone from human plasma. The target compound was then monitored by a high performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detector (HPLC-UV) system. Parameters of influencing the extraction efficiency, such as fiber diameter, fiber packing amount, eluted solvent, pH and ionic strength were investigated. Under the optimized conditions, a linear response for trazodone over the range of 20-2000 ng mL(-1) was achieved with a gamma(2) value of 0.9996. The precision of the method was examined with relative standard deviations of 5.7, 2.7, 2.2% corresponding to 50, 200, and 500 ng mL(-1), respectively, of trazodone spiked into 0.1 mL of plasma samples. The extraction recoveries of 58.3-75.2% and the relative recoveries of 94.6-105.5% were obtained. The limit of detection (LOD) was determined to be 8 ng mL(-1). A 15 min of HPLC gradient was successfully applied to determine trazodone from human plasma. Due to its simplicity, selectivity and sensitivity, the method may be applied to pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic studies of drugs.

Investigation of a fatality due to trazodone poisoning: case report and literature review.

Trazodone is an antidepressant agent used in Spain since 1975. There are few documented reports of fatalities solely attributed to trazodone and none in which the main metabolite is analyzed. A fatal case of self-poisoning following oral ingestion is reported along with a description of the validated analytical methods involved, a discussion of poisoning characteristics, and a review of reports describing trazodone overdose cases with analytical results. The deceased was an 86-year-old man with cancer, who suffered depression. He went to see his doctor in a primary health care unit and told him he had just taken an unknown amount of tablets of Deprax to commit suicide. The doctor induced emesis as a first emergency measure. His death occurred before arriving to the hospital, and he left a suicide note nearby. Systematic toxicological analysis of postmortem blood used routinely in our laboratory revealed the presence of trazodone 4.9 mg/L and m-chlorophenyl-piperazine (m-CPP) 0.6 mg/L, its active and major metabolite. In addition, metamizol 19.6 mg/L and 4-methyl-amino-antipyrine (4-MAA) 40.7 mg/L, its active metabolite, were also found in blood. All drugs and metabolites involved in the case were detected using gas chromatography-nitrogen-phosphorus detection (GC-NPD) and confirmed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) mode total ion chromatogram. An additional high-performance liquid chromatography-diode array detection (HPLC-DAD) screening also obtained the same results. Quantitation of trazodone together with its metabolite in blood was carried out using GC-NPD, while quantitation of metamizol was performed using HPLC-DAD. Limits of detection for trazodone and m-CPP were 33 and 11 microg/L, respectively, absolute recoveries were more than 86% and 75%, respectively, intra-assay precisions less than 4%, interassay precisions less than 5%, and linearity up to 2.0 mg/L. Limit of detection for metamizol was 1117 microg/L, absolute recovery more than 84%, intra-assay precision less than 8%, interassay precision less than 12%, and linearity up to 48 mg/L. Based on the autopsy findings, patient history, toxicology results, and previously reported trazodone intoxications, the forensic pathologists ruled that the cause of death was due to an overdose of trazodone, and the manner of death was listed as suicide.

Therapeutic drug monitoring of trazodone: are there pharmacokinetic interactions involving citalopram and fluoxetine?

OBJECTIVE: Therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) of the new generation antidepressants is subject of controversial discussion. Nonetheless, TDM may safeguard against drug-drug interactions, can be used to control compliance and is valuable in the investigation of overdose. METHOD: The aim of this prospective study was to investigate serum levels of trazodone when prescribed as monotherapy or when used in combination with the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors citalopram and fluoxetine in a simultaneous assay using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Over a 1-year period, we studied 97 patients (63 females) with depressive syndrome who were subdivided into 3 main diagnostic groups. Fifty-two patients were smokers, the mean age was 39.9 years and the mean weight was 72.4 kg; 40 patients were taking trazodone alone, 41 trazodone in combination with citalopram and 16 patients trazodone in combination with fluoxetine. RESULTS: The use of citalopram and fluoxetine in combination with trazodone had no significant impact on trazodone serum levels, and the same was true for differences in body weight and smoking behavior. On the other hand, age and sex had a significant influence on the pharmacokinetic pattern of trazodone, causing higher concentrations in females and in older patients. Since the polypharmacy investigated did not change the serum levels of trazodone, we assume that there is no metabolic interaction between trazodone and citalopram and trazodone and fluoxetine. We observed none of the adverse effects which might have been expected, including dizziness, severe headache, daytime sedation, fatigue or the serotonin syndrome even in a mild form. CONCLUSION: A "double-tracked" antidepressive treatment using trazodone and the SSRIs citalopram and fluoxetine is associated with a wide safety margin.

A comparative solid-phase extraction study for the simultaneous determination of fluvoxamine, mianserin, doxepin, citalopram, paroxetine, and etoperidone in whole blood by capillary gas-liquid chromatography with nitrogen-phosphorus detection.

This paper reports a simple and reliable gas chromatographic method with nitrogen-phosphorus detection without derivatization for the simultaneous detection of fluvoxamine, mianserin, doxepin, citalopram, paroxetine, and etoperidone in whole blood as part of a systematic toxicological analysis (STA). All drugs were studied at concentration levels of 100-2000 ng/mL, except paroxetine for which it was necessary to study at concentration levels of 400-8000 ng/mL. A comparative and validation study using two solid-phase extraction (SPE) columns, Chem Elut and Bond Elut Certify, was developed regarding their recovery, precision, sensitivity, and matrix purification efficiency. The Chem Elut columns, diatomaceous earth, are closely related to conventional liquid-liquid extraction. The Bond Elut Certify columns, more recently developed in the market, are mixed SPE (reversed-phase and cation exchange sorbent). Recoveries for the antidepressants using Chem Elut columns at 500 ng/mL (2000 ng/mL for paroxetine) were in the range 43-72% with intra- and interassay precisions of less than 10% and 16%, respectively. Limits of detection (LODs) and quantitation (LOQs) for fluvoxamine, mianserin, doxepin, citalopram, and etoperidone ranged from 18 to 236 ng/mL and 60 to 786 ng/mL, respectively. LOD and LOQ for paroxetine were 303 and 1009 ng/mL, respectively. Recoveries of these compounds using Bond Elut Certify columns at 500 ng/mL (2000 ng/mL for paroxetine) were in the range 52-83% with intra- and interassay precisions of less than 6% and 8%, respectively. LODs and LOQs for fluvoxamine, mianserin, doxepin, citalopram, and etoperidone ranged from 7 to 28 ng/mL and 23 to 93 ng/mL, respectively. LOD and LOQ for paroxetine were 113 and 376 ng/mL, respectively. An excellent linearity was observed with both procedures from the LOQs up to the upper studied concentration level. In general, higher recoveries, cleaner extracts, better sensitivity, better precision, and reduced solvent consumption and disposal were achieved for the screening of these antidepressants with the use of the mixed SPE Bond Elut Certify compared with Chem Elut columns. The application of these methods on a forensic case study is also presented.