Magnesium oxide (MgO) is a widely used laxative. Because many antipsychotic drugs are lipophilic-basic-compounds, their solubility decreases with increasing pH and changes markedly as the pH of the solution approaches their pKa. It is highly important to clarify the effect of co-administration of MgO on the serum drug concentration for effective, safe, and appropriate medication therapy. However, the relationship between MgO administration and the serum concentration of antipsychotic drugs in patients with schizophrenia has not been reported. Therefore, in the present study, we investigated the effect of MgO administration on the concentration of antipsychotic drugs in the blood of patients with schizophrenia. The serum concentrations of biperiden, zotepine, and risperidone were assayed using an LC/MS system. The correlation between the daily dose of MgO and the relative-drug-concentration (rCp) in each patient was examined. As the MgO dose was increased, the risperidone concentration decreased. The correlation coefficient decreased for risperidone, zotepine, and biperiden, in the same order. To clarify the difference in the suppression potency of MgO on the three drugs, the relationship between the physical properties and the correlation coefficients of each drug was carefully examined. A strong correlation was observed between the pKa and the correlation coefficient. Patients with schizophrenia are often prescribed antipsychotic drugs, which have anticholinergic action and tend to suppress gastric acid secretion. We concluded that basic drug absorption might be suppressed due to an increase in the stomach pH following MgO administration. Therefore, MgO co-administration is better to avoid while taking antipsychotic drugs and anticholinergic drugs.
Keywords: acidity constant; anti-cholinergic action; drug solubility; gastric secretion; schizophrenia.