title: Effects of acute and chronic treatment with fluvoxamine on extracellular and platelet serotonin in the blood of major depressive patients. Relationship to clinical improvement.
abstract: The effects of the treatment with fluvoxamine (FVX) on platelet and plasma serotonin (5-HT) have been examined in eleven drug-free major depressive patients. Acute FVX was without effect, whereas the repeated oral treatment (100-150 mg daily, 12 weeks) reduced platelet 5-HT (-89%, P less than 0.001) and plasma 5-HT (-60%, P less than 0.02). Patients who responded to the treatment at 6 weeks (Hamilton score less than or equal to 10) had significantly lower (-39%, P less than 0.02) pretreatment values of platelet 5-HT than the rest. This suggests that 'low 5-HT' patients may have a more rapid improvement after fluvoxamine. Platelet 5-HT and HDRS correlated significantly along the treatment (r = 0.679, P less than 0.01). These data demonstrate a marked action of fluvoxamine as 5-HT uptake inhibitor at therapeutic doses and confirm that this mechanism is relevant for its efficacy as antidepressant drug.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurochemistry, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (C.S.I.C.), Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Celada
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dolera
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Alvarez
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Artigas
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001792:Blood Platelets / Q000737:chemistry*; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000097:blood* / Q000188:drug therapy; D005110:Extracellular Space / Q000737:chemistry; D005260:Female; D016666:Fluvoxamine / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D006897:Hydroxyindoleacetic Acid / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012701:Serotonin / Q000097:blood* / Q000378:metabolism; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D016666:Fluvoxamine; D006897:Hydroxyindoleacetic Acid; D012701:Serotonin; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors