Posted by TapiocaMonk on May 18, 2003, at 15:05:35
I thought many of you might find this interesting. It is a study that I recently enrolled in on Treatment Resistent Depression. It is really a wonderful thing for people who have had repeated failures with SSRIs.
REFRACTORY DEPRESSION
Aim: To determine whether other treatments, higher doses or unusual combinations of treatments may be helpful for patients for whom multiple medications have not been helpful.Patients: 30 physically healthy adult patients (i.e. aged 18-65) with clinical depression who have not improved during adequate treatment with several standard antidepressant medications
Study status: actively recruiting
Study dates: June 2001 to (estimated) December 2002
Funding: None
Description: A careful history will be taken both of psychiatric illness and of prior treatment. A determination will be made as to whether at least two adequately used medications have been ineffective. A series of treatment trials will then be instituted until the depression ceases at which point further trials will not continue. First, multiple medications with different effects on the brain will be used, then unusual doses and then unusual combinations of medications will be tried. Examples of treatments being used include citalopram (an SSRI), venlafaxine (a NRI/SRI), bupropion (an alpha-2 blocker), tranylcypromine (a MAOI), dextroamphetamine (a stimulant), lithium ( a mood stablilizer), nortriptyline (a tricyclic) and phenelzine (a MAOI), although some patients may not be offered all treatments.
http://cpmcnet.columbia.edu/dept/nyspi/DES/studies.html#refractory
poster:TapiocaMonk
thread:227420
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030514/msgs/227420.html