Controlled studies of the acute antidepressant effects of lithium.
In two randomized double-blind controlled trials on 63 depressed female in-patients subject to recurrent affective disorder (bipolar and unipolar manic-depressive psychosis) lithium was shown to have major acute antidepressant effects. At the end of three weeks lithium produced more uniform improvement than did imipramine; lithium in combination with tryptophan (in the form of Optimax) was superior to tryptophan alone--the latter drug having no discernible antidepressant activity in this group of patients. Lithium did not produce an antidepressant effect until the second and third week of both trials.
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001714:Bipolar Disorder / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy*; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D003863:Depression / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy*; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D004338:Drug Combinations; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007099:Imipramine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008094:Lithium / Q000097:blood / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011897:Random Allocation; D014364:Tryptophan / Q000627:therapeutic use
D004338:Drug Combinations; D014364:Tryptophan; D008094:Lithium; D007099:Imipramine