THE EFFECTS OF FLUOXETINE ON THE POLYSOMNOGRAM OF DEPRESSED OUTPATIENTS - A PILOT-STUDY

The effects of fluoxetine (FLU) and its active metabolite, norfluoxeti ne (NFLU), on the polysomnogram (PSG) of nine depressed outpatients (e ight with major depression; one with bipolar II, depressed phase disor der) were investigated by contrasting PSG values prior to treatment an ti during administration of FLU. The PSG changes were correlated with daily dose, cumulative dosage, single serum concentrations, and the to tal area under the serum concentration curve (AUC) of both FLU and NFL U. Fluoxetine clearly increased both stage 1 sleep time and rapid-eye- movement (REM) latency and decreased both percent REM and REM density. With a few exceptions, the cumulative dosage of FLU and the AUC of FL U and NFLU were better predictors of the changes in awake and movement time in the PSG than single-sample concentrations of FLU and NFLU tak en at the time of PSG assessment.