LONG-TERM TREATMENT OF DOUBLE DEPRESSION - A PRELIMINARY-STUDY WITH SEROTONERGIC ANTIDEPRESSANTS

Hellerstein, David J., Philip Yanowitch, Jesse Rosenthal, Camille Hemlock, Karen Kasch, Lisa Samstag and Arnold Winston: Long-Term Treatment of Double Depression: A Preliminary Study with Serotonergic Antidepressants. Prog. Neuro-Psychopharmacol. and Biol. Psychiat. 1994, 18(1) : 139-147. 1. There is increasing evidence that many patients with major depression also have coexisting dysthymia, and that antidepressant treatment may alleviate both conditions. 2. Open-label study of fluoxetine and trazodone for 18 patients meeting DSM-III-R criteria for concurrent dysthymia and major depression. 3. Fourteen patients completed three-month medication trials, and seven (50%) of completers) responded to treatment. At five months, eight (57.1%) were in remission. Fluoxetine was significantly better tolerated than trazodone, with respective dropout rates of 7.7% and 80%. 4. Findings are consistent with efficacy of serotonergic agents in this condition.