Cytochromes and Psychotropic Drug Interactions

The cytochrome p450 enzymes in the liver were discovered about 40 years ago. Soon after, it was found that these enzymes could be induced by various drugs whose metabolism would then be accelerated. Over the years, more and more subtypes of cytochromes have been characterised. A recent listing contained over 30 Of these, a few appear to be of particular importance in the metabolism of commonly-used psychotropic drugs (von Moltke et a!, 1994). Furthermore, predictions can now be made con cerning potentially troublesome drug interactions (Murray, 1992), especially those involving anti depressants.