Cortisol response to dextroamphetamine stimulation in depressed outpatients.
Endogenously depressed inpatients often fail to release cortisol following intravenous (i.v.) amphetamine, unlike nondepressed control subjects. We therefore assessed the ability of i.v. dextroamphetamine, 0.15 mg/kg, to induce cortisol release in 64 depressed outpatients diagnosed according to Research Diagnostic Criteria (RDC). After dextroamphetamine challenge, more patients with major depression failed to release substantial cortisol (30%) than those without major depression (5%). Major depressives with endogenous subtype failed to release cortisol (38%) more frequently than those without endogenous depression (23%), but this difference was not significant. After baseline cortisol, sex, and weight loss were controlled for in a regression analysis, however, RDC diagnosis of major depression or endogenous subtype did not account for significant additional variance in cortisol release. In outpatients, abnormal cortisol response to amphetamine may be more closely related to baseline cortisol, sex, and history of weight loss than to RDC subtype of depression.
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D001835:Body Weight; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000378:metabolism*; D003913:Dextroamphetamine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010045:Outpatients; D010361:Patients; D012737:Sex Factors
D003913:Dextroamphetamine; D006854:Hydrocortisone