COMBINED THERAPY USING MOCLOBEMIDE AND TR ICYCLIC AND TETRACYCLIC ANTIDEPRESSANTS FOR THERAPY-RESISTANT DEPRESSION

After treatment with a classical tri/tetracyclic antidepressant a comb ined therapy with 300 mg moclobemide was given to a group of 23 depres sive patients who were resistent to treatment (previous treatment with two biochemical different antidepressants for al least 5 weeks in suf ficient doses, average period of episode up to the beginning of the co mbined therapy 8 months). With 13 patients (56,5%) an improvement of t he Hamilton depression scale (24-item-version) of al least 50% was ach ieved. The side effects corresponded to those regarded in literature ( especially restlessness), but they were less numerous. There was no in crease of EEG or ECG changes. Considering the presented results the co mbined therapy with the reversible MAO inhibitor moclobemide represent s a practical therapy with little side effect.