Maintenance desipramine for dysthymia: a placebo-controlled study.
BACKGROUND
This study examines the efficacy of maintenance pharmacotherapy in dysthymia without concurrent major depression, i.e. 'pure dysthymia'. No published data exist on this topic.


METHODS
Responders to a 10-week open trial of desipramine (DMI) whose therapeutic response persisted during a 4-month continuation phase were eligible to begin a 2-year placebo-controlled maintenance phase. We analyzed the subgroup with DSM-III-R pure dysthymia (n=27) that entered maintenance. Time to recurrence during maintenance therapy was compared between the two treatment groups.


RESULTS
Six of 13 patients receiving placebo and none of 14 patients receiving ongoing DMI experienced a recurrence. Risk of recurrence was significantly greater for placebo patients. Five of six placebo recurrences occurred within the first 6 months of maintenance.


CONCLUSIONS
Larger replication studies are needed.


CONCLUSIONS
Desipramine was efficacious as a maintenance treatment in patients with pure dysthymia who responded to 7 months of acute and continuation DMI.
Miller
N L
NL
Department of Psychiatry, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, NY 10128, USA. nlmill@cs.com
Kocsis
J H
JH
Leon
A C
AC
Portera
L
L
Dauber
S
S
Markowitz
J C
JC
D000208:Acute Disease; D000328:Adult; D000929:Antidepressive Agents, Tricyclic / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D019263:Dysthymic Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012008:Recurrence; D012075:Remission, Spontaneous; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013997:Time Factors
D000929:Antidepressive Agents, Tricyclic