Lithium and tricyclic augmentation of fluoxetine treatment for resistant major depression: a double-blind, controlled study

Am J Psychiatry. 1994 Sep;151(9):1372-4. doi: 10.1176/ajp.151.9.1372.

Abstract

Forty-one patients who had failed to respond to 8 weeks of treatment with 20 mg of fluoxetine were randomly assigned to one of three treatments for 4 weeks: 40-60 mg/day of fluoxetine, 20 mg/day of fluoxetine plus 25-50 mg/day of desipramine, and 20 mg/day of fluoxetine plus 300-600 mg/day of lithium. Patients treated with high-dose fluoxetine (N = 15) did significantly better than patients treated with fluoxetine plus lithium (N = 14) and those treated with fluoxetine plus desipramine (N = 12). High-dose fluoxetine was the most effective treatment among partial responders to previous treatment, but high-dose fluoxetine and fluoxetine plus lithium were the most effective treatments among nonresponders.

Publication types

  • Clinical Trial
  • Randomized Controlled Trial
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Depressive Disorder / diagnosis
  • Depressive Disorder / drug therapy*
  • Depressive Disorder / psychology
  • Desipramine / administration & dosage*
  • Desipramine / therapeutic use
  • Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
  • Drug Administration Schedule
  • Drug Therapy, Combination
  • Female
  • Fluoxetine / administration & dosage
  • Fluoxetine / therapeutic use*
  • Humans
  • Lithium / administration & dosage*
  • Lithium / therapeutic use
  • Male
  • Pilot Projects
  • Psychiatric Status Rating Scales
  • Severity of Illness Index
  • Treatment Outcome

Substances

  • Fluoxetine
  • Lithium
  • Desipramine