Triiodothyronine does not augment the effects
of paroxetine in patients with depression
(March 2005)
The background of the study. Triiodothyronine
(T3) can speed and augment the response to tricyclic antidepressant
drug therapy in patients with depression. This study was done to
determine if T3 had similar beneficial effects in patients with
depression treated with a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor.
How the study was done. The study subjects were
113 patients (mean age, 46 years) with a major depressive disorder.
They were assigned at random to receive paroxetine plus 25 µg
of T3, paroxetine plus 50 µg of T3, or paroxetine plus placebo
daily for 2 months. The patients were evaluated for depression at
base line and after 1, 2, 4, 6, and 8 weeks, using a standard rating
scale, and for adverse effects.
The results of the study. The base-line characteristics
of the three treatment groups were similar. There was a significant
decrease in the depression score in each group during the 2-month
study period. The magnitude of the decrease in score and the proportion
of patients who responded or had a remission were similar in all
three groups, as was the rate of decrease in score. During the study,
the frequency of palpitations, sweating, and nervousness was higher
in the patients given T3, especially the 50-µg T3 group, as
compared with the placebo group.
The conclusions of the study. In patients with
depression, combined T3 and paroxetine treatment does not increase
the extent or rate of response to paroxetine, and there are more
adverse effects than in patients treated with paroxetine alone.
The original article. Appelhof BC, Brouwer JP,
van Dyck R, Fliers E, Hoogendijk WJ, Huyser J, Schene AH, Tijssen
JG, Wiersinga WM. Triiodothyronine addition to paroxetine in the
treatment of major depressive disorder. J Clin Endocrinol Metab
2004:89:6271-6.
|
