Useful For
Suggests clinical disorders or settings where the test may be helpful
Assessing compliance
Monitoring for appropriate therapeutic levels of primidone and phenobarbital
Assessing toxicity
Test Id |
Reporting Name |
Available Separately |
Always Performed |
PRIMD |
Primidone, S |
No
|
Yes |
PBR |
Phenobarbital, S |
Yes
|
Yes |
Testing Algorithm
Delineates situations when tests are added to the initial order. This includes reflex and additional tests.
Includes phenobarbital determination.
Method Name
A short description of the method used to perform the test
PRIMD: Immunoassay
PBR: Kinetic Interaction of Microparticles in a Solution (KIMS)
NY State Available
Indicates the status of NY State approval and if the test is orderable for NY State clients.
Yes
Reporting Name
Lists a shorter or abbreviated version of the Published Name for a test
Primidone and Phenobarbital, S
Aliases
Lists additional common names for a test, as an aid in searching
Barbita (Phenobarbital)
Luminal (Phenobarbital)
Mysoline (Primidone)
Phenobarbital
Primidone (Mysoline)
Primidone w/Phenobarb Metabolite, Serum
Solfoton (Phenobarbital)
Testing Algorithm
Delineates situations when tests are added to the initial order. This includes reflex and additional tests.
Includes phenobarbital determination.
Specimen Type
Describes the specimen type validated for testing
Serum
Specimen Required
Defines the optimal specimen required to perform the test and the preferred volume to complete testing
Container/Tube:
Preferred: Serum gel
Acceptable: Red top
Submission Container/Tube: Plastic vial
Specimen Volume: 0.5 mL
Collection Instructions:
1. Serum gel tubes should be centrifuged within 2 hours of collection.
2. Red-top tubes should be centrifuged, and the serum aliquoted into a plastic vial within 2 hours of collection.
Forms
If not ordering electronically, complete, print, and send 1 of the following forms with the specimen:
-Neurology Specialty Testing Client Test Request (T732)
-Therapeutics Test Request (T831)
Specimen Minimum Volume
Defines the amount of sample necessary to provide a clinically relevant result as determined by the testing laboratory. The minimum volume is sufficient for one attempt at testing.
0.25 mL
Reject Due To
Identifies specimen types and conditions that may cause the specimen to be rejected
Gross hemolysis Reject
Thawing Cold OK; Warm reject
Specimen Type |
Temperature |
Time |
Special Container |
Serum |
Ambient |
72 hours |
|
|
Refrigerated (preferred) |
7 days |
|
|
Frozen |
28 days |
|
Useful For
Suggests clinical disorders or settings where the test may be helpful
Assessing compliance
Monitoring for appropriate therapeutic levels of primidone and phenobarbital
Assessing toxicity
Testing Algorithm
Delineates situations when tests are added to the initial order. This includes reflex and additional tests.
Includes phenobarbital determination.
Primidone is used for control of grand mal seizures that are refractory to other antiepileptics and seizures of psychomotor or focal origin.
Primidone is initially dosed in progressively increasing amounts starting with 100 mg at bedtime to 250 mg 3 times a day after 10 days of therapy in adults.
Primidone exhibits a volume of distribution of 0.6 L/kg and a half-life of 8 hours.
When monitoring primidone and phenobarbital levels simultaneously, the specimen should be drawn just before the next dose is administered.
Primidone is not highly protein bound, approximately 10%. Phenobarbital is a metabolite of primidone. Like phenobarbital, there are no known major drug-drug interactions that affect the pharmacology of primidone. Toxicity associated with primidone is primarily due to the accumulation of phenobarbital. Diagnosis and treatment are as described for PBAR / Phenobarbital, Serum.
Reference Values
Describes reference intervals and additional information for interpretation of test results. May include intervals based on age and sex when appropriate. Intervals are Mayo-derived, unless otherwise designated. If an interpretive report is provided, the reference value field will state this.
Primidone
Therapeutic: 5.0-12.0 mcg/mL
Critical value: > or =15.0 mcg/mL
Phenobarbital
Therapeutic: 10.0-40.0 mcg/mL
Critical value: > or =60.0 mcg/mL
Interpretation
Provides information to assist in interpretation of the test results
At steady-state, which is achieved approximately 2 weeks after therapy is initiated, blood levels of primidone that correlate with optimal response to the drug range from 9.0 to 12.5 mcg/mL for adults and 7.0 to 10.0 mcg/mL for children younger than 5 years.
The corresponding levels for phenobarbital are 20.0 to 40.0 mcg/mL for adults and 15.0 to 30.0 mcg/mL for children younger than 5 years.
Dosage adjustment based on blood level information is the best way to obtain optimal response to the drug.
Cautions
Discusses conditions that may cause diagnostic confusion, including improper specimen collection and handling, inappropriate test selection, and interfering substances
The phenobarbital level should be monitored at the same time the primidone level is monitored as phenobarbital is a metabolite of primidone.
Clinical Reference
Recommendations for in-depth reading of a clinical nature
1. Lenkapothula N, Cascella M. Primidone. In: StatPearls [Internet]. StatPearls Publishing; 2024. Updated July 24, 2023. Available at www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK562297/
2. Aronson J. Meyler's Side Effects of Drugs: The International Encyclopedia of Adverse Drug Reactions and Interactions. 16th ed. Elsevier; 2016:927-932. doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-444-53717-1.01336-6
Method Description
Describes how the test is performed and provides a method-specific reference
Primidone
The assay is a homogeneous enzyme immunoassay technique used for the analysis of specific compounds in biological fluids. The assay is based on competition between drug in the sample and drug labeled with the enzyme glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH) for antibody binding sites. Enzyme activity decreases upon binding to the antibody, so the drug concentration in the sample can be measured in terms of enzyme activity. Active enzyme converts oxidized nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) to NADH (the reduced form of NAD), resulting in an absorbance change that is measured spectrophotometrically. Endogenous serum G6PDH does not interfere, because the coenzyme functions only with the bacterial (Leuconostoc mesenteroides) enzyme employed in the assay.(Package insert: Siemens Primidone reagent. Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics Ltd; 03/2015)
Phenobarbital
The assay is based on the kinetic interaction of microparticles in a solution. Phenobarbital antibody is covalently coupled to microparticles and the drug derivative is linked to a macromolecule. The kinetic interaction of microparticles in solutions is induced by binding of drug-conjugate to the antibody on the microparticles and is inhibited by the presence of phenobarbital in the sample. A competitive reaction takes place between the drug conjugate and phenobarbital in the serum sample for binding to the phenobarbital antibody on the microparticles. The resulting kinetic interaction of microparticles is indirectly proportional to the amount of drug present in the sample.(Package insert: Roche Phenobarbital reagent. Roche Diagnostics; V9.0 11/2021)
PDF Report
Indicates whether the report includes an additional document with charts, images or other enriched information
No
Monday through Sunday
Report Available
The interval of time (receipt of sample at Mayo Clinic Laboratories to results available) taking into account standard setup days and weekends. The first day is the time that it typically takes for a result to be available. The last day is the time it might take, accounting for any necessary repeated testing.
Same day/1 day
Specimen Retention Time
Outlines the length of time after testing that a specimen is kept in the laboratory before it is discarded
1 week
Rochester
Fees
Several factors determine the fee charged to perform a test. Contact your U.S. or International Regional Manager for information about establishing a fee schedule or to learn more about resources to optimize test selection.
- Authorized users can sign in to Test Prices for detailed fee information.
- Clients without access to Test Prices can contact Customer Service 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
- Prospective clients should contact their account representative. For assistance, contact Customer Service.
Test Classification
Provides information regarding the medical device classification for laboratory test kits and reagents. Tests may be classified as cleared or approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and used per manufacturer instructions, or as products that do not undergo full FDA review and approval, and are then labeled as an Analyte Specific Reagent (ASR) product.
This test has been cleared, approved, or is exempt by the US Food and Drug Administration and is used per manufacturer's instructions. Performance characteristics were verified by Mayo Clinic in a manner consistent with CLIA requirements.
PRIMD-80188
PBR-80184
Test Id |
Test Order Name |
Order LOINC Value
|
PRMB |
Primidone and Phenobarbital, S |
10547-8 |
Result Id |
Test Result Name |
Result LOINC Value
Applies only to results expressed in units of measure originally reported by the performing laboratory. These values do not apply to results that are converted to other units of measure.
|
PBR |
Phenobarbital, S |
3948-7 |
PRIMD |
Primidone, S |
3978-4 |