Citalopram treatment of major depressive disorder in Hispanic HIV and AIDS patients: a prospective study

Fourteen Hispanic and six non-Hispanic outpatients with HIV-spectrum illness and major depressive disorder were enrolled in a 6-week, open-label, flexible-dose study of citalopram (dose range=10-40 mg/day). The depressive symptoms of 50% of the 14 patients who completed the study responded to citalopram (mean dose=34 mg/day). The treatment response rate, effective citalopram dose, total number of reported adverse events, and attrition rate did not differ between the ethnic groups. Two patients discontinued because of adverse events (rash, nausea), and four patients discontinued because of noncompliance with the protocol. The findings suggest that citalopram is an effective and well-tolerated antidepressant for Hispanic and non-Hispanic HIV-infected patients.