Irq J Pharm Vol. ١١, No. ١, ٢٠١١ Phenylthiocarbamide perception in epileptic patients on carbamazepine therapy Imad A-J Thanoon∗, Sabah K AL-Dabbagh∗∗, Isam H.Mahmood∗ , Hilmy AS Abdul-Jabbar∗∗∗ ∗Department of Pharmacology, Mosul College of Medicine, ∗∗Deparmtent of Clinical Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, University of Mosul, ∗∗∗Department of Neurosurgery, Ibn-Sena Hospital, Mosul, Iraq Received Accepted ١.٦.٢٠١٠ ٢.١٢.٢٠١٠ ABSTRACT The present study was designed to study the taste sensitivity to phenylthiocarbamide among epileptic patients. A total of ٣ epileptic patients participated in the study. The epileptic state of the patients was well controlled by carbamazepine therapy, with their serum level of carbamazepine within therapeutic range. The other group consists of ٦٢ healthy volunteers, serving as a control. Test strips impregnated with phenylthiocarbamide have been used to identify tasters from non tasters of both patients and control groups. The individuals who perceive phenylthiocarbamide as bitter tasting was regarded as tasters while those describe it as tasteless were regarded as non-tasters. The results showed no significant difference with regard perception of phenylthiocarbamide between epileptic patients on carbamazepine therapy and controls. Key words: phenylthiocarbamide taste sensitivity, epileptic patients, carbamazepine اﻟﺨﻼﺻﺔ ѧ ѧ ѧ ѧ ѧ ѧ ѧ ѧ        .     ٣ ѧ ѧ ѧ ѧ ѧ ѧ   ، ѧ ѧ ѧ  ѧ ѧ ѧ ѧ      ѧ ѧ ѧ ѧ . ѧ ѧ ѧ ѧ ѧ ٦٢ ѧ ѧ ءѧ ѧ ѧ . ѧ ѧ ѧ ѧ ѧ ѧ ѧ ѧ ѧ ѧ ѧ ѧ ѧ ѧ ѧ ѧ ѧ ، ѧ ѧ ѧ ѧ ѧ ѧ ѧ ، ѧ ѧ ѧ ѧ ѧ ѧ ѧ ѧ ѧ ѧ ѧ   . ѧ ѧ              ѧ ء       he ability or inability to taste the compound phenylthiocarbamide (PTC) is a classic inherited trait in humans and has been the subject of genetic and anthropological studies for over ٠ years. This trait has also been shown to correlate with a number of a dietary preferences and thus may have important implications for human health ١ . Fox set about testing a large number of people and found that distinct variation was common regardless of age, sex, and ethnicity ٢ . Most interestingly Fox found that most people fall into just ٢ categories: those able to taste PTC even at a very low concentrations, whom he referred to tasters and those unable to taste the compound except at very high T