THYROID-HORMONE LEVELS BEFORE UNSUCCESSFUL ANTIDEPRESSANT THERAPY AREASSOCIATED WITH LATER RESPONSE TO T3 AUGMENTATION

Thyroid function was measured in 24 patients before antidepressant tre atment, and following failure of acute desipramine treatment but befor e triiodothyronine (T3) augmentation. While all measures of thyroid fu nction were within the euthyroid range, eventual T3 augmentation respo nders were found to have, prior to any antidepressant treatment, lower levels of TSH and higher levels of thyroxine (T4) and free thyroxine index (FTI) than non-responders. This suggests that T3 augmentation ma y be of particular importance in subjects with comparatively elevated levels of serum FTI. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd.