Accelerated antidepressant response to lithium augmentation of imipramine.
BACKGROUND
Treatment of depressive episode often poses a challenge. Although there are numerous medicines available for its treatment but they all have a lag period of 2-3 weeks before they start showing their result.


OBJECTIVE
The aim of the present study was to test the hypothesis that an initial lithium-tricyclic antidepressant (TCA) combination has a quicker and better antidepressant effect than standard TCA treatment in unipolar depression.


METHODS
Twenty unipolar depressed inpatients under lithium-TCA treatment were compared with twenty patients with similar diagnosis treated with TCA-placebo combination. The duration of the study was 4 weeks under double-blind conditions.


RESULTS
Initial lithium-TCA treatment reduced depressive symptoms significantly more than TCA alone. The difference was evident from 1stweek onward and persisted at 4 weeks.


CONCLUSIONS
Lithium augmentation of TCA at the outset offers a strategy to reduce the lag period of antidepressant action. The choice can be made for those patients who are likely to benefit from long-term prophylaxis.
Department of Psychiatry, Armed Forces Medical College, Pune, Maharashtra, India.
Rajiv
R
Saini
Department of Psychiatry, Peoples Medical College and Hospital, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India.
M S V K
MS
Raju
Department of Psychiatry, Pravara Institute of Medical Sciences (Deemed University), Rural Medical College, Loni, Maharashtra, India.
Suprakash
S
Chaudhury
Department of Psychiatry, Armed Forces Medical College, Pune, Maharashtra, India.
Kalpana
K
Srivastava
Lithium; lithium combination; treatment of depression; tricyclic antidepressant