Initial lithium augmentation improves the antidepressant effects of standard TCA treatment in non-resistant depressed patients |
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Authors: | Dieter Ebert Andrea Jaspert Harumi Murata Wolfgang P Kaschka |
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Institution: | (1) Psychiatrische Klinik, Universität Erlangen, Schwabachanlage 6, D-91054 Erlangen, Germany;(2) Department of Psychiatry I, University of Ulm, Germany |
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Abstract: | The hypothesis was tested that an initial lithium-tricyclic antidepressant (TCA) combination has a better antidepressant effect than standard TCA treatment in non-refractory depression at the beginning of an episode. Twenty bipolar melancholic type depressed inpatients under lithium-TCA treatment were compared with 20 patients with the same diagnosis and TCA-placebo treatment for 5 weeks under double-blind conditions. All patients were male. Initial lithium-TCA treatment reduced depressive symptoms significantly more than antidepressant treatment with TCA and placebo after 5 weeks, but not in weeks 1 or 2. It can be concluded that lithium augmentation of TCA treatment should be started even at the beginning of antidepressant TCA treatment to provide a better treatment response in those patients who will profit from long-term lithium prophylaxis, e.g. bipolar patients with melancholic type depression. |
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Keywords: | Lithium Lithium combination Depression Treatment of depression |
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