Desipramine induces cardiac beta-adrenergic sensitivity decrease in major depressed patients without relationship to therapeutic response.
Nineteen major depressed inpatients were treated over three weeks with desipramine. Cardiac beta-adrenergic receptor sensitivity was evaluated by an isoproterenol test before and after the three-week treatment. Desipramine induced a beta-adrenergic sensitivity decrease in most of the patients: I 20 (isoproterenol dose necessary to increase by 20 beats/min. the basal heart rate) before treatment: 89 +/- 37 ng/kg (mean +/- SD); after treatment: 170 +/- 135 ng/kg; p(t) less than 0.03. Despite a linear relationship between pretreatment beta-adrenergic sensitivity and post-treatment clinical state, there was no relation between post-treatment cardiac beta-adrenergic sensitivity and therapeutic response or even desipramine plasma levels.
Bertschy
G
G
Service de Psychiatrie, C.H.U. St. Jacques, Besançon, France.
Vandel
S
S
Puech
A
A
Blum
D
D
Vandel
B
B
Allers
G
G
D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000523:psychology; D003891:Desipramine / Q000097:blood / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D015536:Down-Regulation / Q000187:drug effects*; D006321:Heart / Q000187:drug effects*; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000187:drug effects; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D007545:Isoproterenol / Q000494:pharmacology; D011943:Receptors, Adrenergic, beta / Q000187:drug effects*
D011943:Receptors, Adrenergic, beta; D007545:Isoproterenol; D003891:Desipramine