Pa. Childs et al., EFFECT OF FLUOXETINE ON MELATONIN IN PATIENTS WITH SEASONAL AFFECTIVE-DISORDER AND MATCHED CONTROLS, British Journal of Psychiatry, 166, 1995, pp. 196-198
Background. The aim was to investigate the secretion profile of melato
nin and seasonal affective disorder before and after treatment with fl
uoxetine. Method. A six-week case-controlled study with repeated overn
ight blood sampling was conducted. Ten patients fulfilling the criteri
a for major depressive disorder, seasonal type, with a 29-item Hamilto
n Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) score of at least 20 were compared wi
th ten age- and sex-matched healthy controls in a clinical laboratory.
The effects of fluoxetine (20 mg/day) on the HDRS and melatonin conce
ntration were measured. Results. Fluoxetine significantly reduced mela
tonin levels in both groups. There was no significant difference in me
latonin secretion between the groups. Conclusions. The effect of fluox
etine differs from tricyclics and fluvoxamine, both of which increase
melatonin.