CONCURRENT TREATMENT WITH ANTIDEPRESSANT AND LITHIUM DOES NOT HASTEN CLINICAL-RESPONSE

At present, none of the double-blind placebo-controlled studies demons trated that concurrent treatment with antidepressant and lithium haste ned clinical response in nonresistant depressed patients. In these stu dies, however, the antidepressants tested were not predominant or sele ctive serotenergic antidepressants. In the present study, an uncontrol led open study involving concurrent treatment with trazodone and lithi um was performed as a preliminary study. As a result, two of six patie nts dramatically improved within a week. The present findings suggest that concurrent treatment with trazodone and lithium can hasten clinic al response in some depressive patients. Thus, the question whether co ncurrent treatment with predominant or selective antidepressant and li thium can hasten clinical response deserves a further double-blind pla cebo-controlled study. (C) 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.