title: A calcium antagonist for the treatment of depressive episodes: single case reports.
abstract: Preclinical studies indicate that a disturbed intracellular calcium ion homeostasis is involved in the pathophysiology of affective disorders. Therefore some calcium antagonists were investigated, especially in the treatment of the manic syndrome. In the present study the calcium antagonist nimodipine was used in 10 out-patients with single or recurrent depressive episodes. As a result the mean HAMD scores changed from 26.5 to 9.9 after the individual nimodipine administration. These single case reports suggest an effective new therapy strategy for the treatment of affective dysregulations and give rise to controlled clinical studies with calcium antagonists.
authors.affiliation: Psychiatrische Universitätsklinik, Freiburg, Germany.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Walden
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fritze
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Van Calker
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Berger
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Grunze
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002118:Calcium / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors*; D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000188:drug therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009553:Nimodipine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers; D009553:Nimodipine; D002118:Calcium