Determination of Ethosuximide, Phenobarbital, Carbamazepine, Carbamazepine Epoxide and Phenytoin in Serum by high performance liquid chromatography using Radially compressed Columns and an Aqueous methanolic mobile phase

A liquid chromatographic method for the determination of antiepileptic drugs in serum is described. The drugs were adsorbed on activated charcoal from which they were recovered by extraction with methylene chloride. The organic extracts were evaporated to dryness and the residues were dissolved in small volumes of the mobile phase. The extracts were clean. Only trace amounts of endogenic compounds were detected. The chromatographic separation was performed with a radially compressed column (C18) that was used daily for several months.