Protriptyline (Vivactyl)
Use
Protriptyline testing is crucial for monitoring therapeutic levels and avoiding toxicity in patients undergoing treatment for depression. It helps optimize individual dosages by ensuring that drug levels remain within a therapeutic range while preventing adverse effects that may arise from excessive concentrations.
Special Instructions
For specimen collection, it's important to use specific tubes: use a green-top sodium heparin tube for plasma or a plain red-top tube for serum. It's critical to spin down the samples and ensure plasma gel or serum gel tubes are not used as they are unacceptable for this test. Specific instructions should be followed to avoid rejection due to improper specimen types or conditions.
Limitations
This test's accuracy can be compromised by hemolysis, lipemia, and icterus, which are commonly encountered specimen conditions. Patients' adherence to preparation instructions, accurate specimen collection, and timely specimen transportation are vital to maintain specimen integrity. Any deviation can lead to potentially inaccurate results or the need for re-sampling, causing delays in clinical decision-making.
New York Approved
Methodology
Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS/MS)
Biomarkers
LOINC Codes
- 3999-0
- 3999-0
Result Turnaround Time
3-6 days
Related Documents
For more information, please review the documents below
Specimen
Plasma
Volume
2 mL
Minimum Volume
0.4 mL
Container
Plastic vial
Collection Instructions
Draw blood in a green-top (sodium heparin) tube, plasma gel tube is not acceptable. Spin down and refrigerate the plasma.
Causes for Rejection
Hemolysis, lipemia, icterus, and plasma gel tube usage will lead to rejection.
Stability Requirements
| Temperature | Period |
|---|---|
| Room Temperature | 72 hours |
| Refrigerated | 7 days |
| Frozen | 180 days |