Antidepressants are psychiatric medications taken with intent to alleviate mood disorders. Few regulations exist concerning the discharge, fate and transport of such pharmaceuticals. They exhibit high environmental stability, passing unchanged through biological and wastewater treatment processes. Selective and sensitive detection methods in the relevant matrices are necessary for monitoring these potentially harmful compounds.  This presentation will discuss methodology developed for detection and identification of commonly used antidepressant drugs and their metabolites. A High Pressure Liquid Chromatograph coupled with an Electrospray Ionization Triple-Quadrupole Mass Spectrometer was employed for separation and detection of analytes. Samples were prepared using solid-phase extraction.  Selectivity and resolution were optimized by altering mobile and stationary phase compositions. C18 and phenyl-hexyl columns were the primary considerations. Results indicate that C18 columns were unable to achieve proper retention and separation of certain analytes, causing unique detection issues. Phenyl-hexyl columns appeared to be more generally selective for antidepressants.

Detection and quantification of antidepressants in aqueous matrices

245th National Meeting (2013)

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