Escitalopram, Serum/Plasma
Test code
CPT code(s)*
Test resources
Details
Methodology
High Performance Liquid Chromatography/Tandem Mass Spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS)
Assay category
This test was developed and its performance characteristics have been determined by NMS Labs. It has not been cleared or approved by the US Food and Drug Administration.
Specimen requirements | |
|---|---|
| Patient preparation | None Specified |
| Preferred specimen(s) | 1 mL serum collected in a red-top tube (no gel) |
| Alternative specimen(s) | Plasma collected in: EDTA (lavender-top) tube or EDTA (pink-top) tube |
| Minimum volume | 0.4 mL |
| Collection instructions | Promptly centrifuge and separate serum or plasma into a transport plastic screw-cap vial |
| Transport container | Transport tube |
| Transport temperature | Room temperature |
| Specimen stability | Room temperature: 30 days Refrigerated: 30 days Frozen: 30 days |
| Reject criteria | Serum separator tube (SST) • PST |
Reference Range(s)
Steady-state serum or plasma levels from patients on a daily regimen of 30 to 60 mg Citalopram: 9-200 ng/mL.
Steady-state peak plasma levels from patients on regimen of 10 or 30 mg/day: 21 and 64 ng/mL, respecitvely, and occur at approximately 4 hours post dose.
This test is not chiral specific; therefore, Citalopram and/or Escitalopram may be present. Patients who have taken Racemic Citalopram (Celexa®), as opposed to Escitalopram (Lexapro®), within the past 3 days may have falsely elevated values.
Analysis by High Performance Liquid Chromatography/Tandem Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS/MS).
Reference ranges are provided as general guidance only. To interpret test results use the reference range in the laboratory report.
*The CPT codes provided are based on AMA guidance and are for informational purposes only. CPT coding is the sole responsibility of the billing party. Please direct any questions regarding coding to the payer being billed.
This material contains content from LOINC® (http://loinc.org). The LOINC Table, LOINC Table Core are copyright © 1995-2019, Regenstrief Institute, Inc. and the Logical Observation Identifiers Names and Codes (LOINC) Committee and is available at no cost under the license at http://loinc.org/license.
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