TY - JOUR

T1 - Essential tremor treated with propranolol

T2 - lack of correlation between clinical effect and plasma propranolol levels

AU - Sørensen, P S

AU - Paulson, O B

AU - Steiness, E

AU - Jansen, E C

PY - 1981/1

Y1 - 1981/1

N2 - Five patients with essential tremor were treated with increasing daily doses of propranolol. Tremor intensity was assessed after each propranolol dose had been given daily for a period of at least seven days. The evaluation was made 12 to 15 hours after the last propranolol ingestion. It included a semiquantitative clinical tremor evaluation and quantitative registration with an accelerometer. Electronic integration of the accelerometer curves gave an arbitrary measure of tremor intensity. Plasma propranolol concentration was determined at each tremor measurement. The reduction in tremor correlated with increasing propranolol doses, whereas plasma propranolol concentrations varied widely among individuals and could not be correlated with tremor reduction. Most of the patients had considerable diminution in tremor at low propranolol doses, often with an unmeasurable plasma propranolol concentration. Determination of plasma concentrations has little value in long-term treatment of essential tremor with propranolol. The dosage can be sufficiently guided by clinical evaluation of effect.

AB - Five patients with essential tremor were treated with increasing daily doses of propranolol. Tremor intensity was assessed after each propranolol dose had been given daily for a period of at least seven days. The evaluation was made 12 to 15 hours after the last propranolol ingestion. It included a semiquantitative clinical tremor evaluation and quantitative registration with an accelerometer. Electronic integration of the accelerometer curves gave an arbitrary measure of tremor intensity. Plasma propranolol concentration was determined at each tremor measurement. The reduction in tremor correlated with increasing propranolol doses, whereas plasma propranolol concentrations varied widely among individuals and could not be correlated with tremor reduction. Most of the patients had considerable diminution in tremor at low propranolol doses, often with an unmeasurable plasma propranolol concentration. Determination of plasma concentrations has little value in long-term treatment of essential tremor with propranolol. The dosage can be sufficiently guided by clinical evaluation of effect.

KW - Adult

KW - Aged

KW - Female

KW - Humans

KW - Male

KW - Middle Aged

KW - Propranolol/administration & dosage

KW - Tremor/drug therapy

U2 - 10.1002/ana.410090110

DO - 10.1002/ana.410090110

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 7212666

VL - 9

SP - 53

EP - 57

JO - Annals of Neurology

JF - Annals of Neurology

SN - 0364-5134

IS - 1

ER -