Refractory depression: the addition of lithium to fluoxetine or desipramine
- 1 March 1991
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Wiley in Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica
- Vol. 83 (3), 188-192
- https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0447.1991.tb05522.x
Abstract
We carried out an open clinical study with 60 consecutive patients suffering from major depression with melancholia who were resistant to anti-depressants. After at least 6 weeks of desipramine (DMI) or fluoxetine (FX) without improvement, lithium carbonate was added to the anti-depressant. Semistructured clinical interviews using the 7-point Clinical Global Impression Scale and 90-item Symptom Checklist were done at baseline and weeks 1, 6 and 14. Following the addition of lithium, more patients on FX improved within the first week than those on DMI. However, with FX, 6 relapses occurred during the 2 months of follow-up and none with DMI. The unified serotonergic and noradrenergic hypothesis for the antidepressant action could be relevant in drug-refractory depression and should be studied further.Keywords
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