SLEEP-DEPRIVATION HASTENS THE ANTIDEPRESSANT ACTION OF FLUOXETINE

Among ten bipolar depressed patients admitted to our psychiatric ward, five patients were treated with fluoxetine alone and five subjects we re treated with fluoxetine in association with total sleep deprivation (TSD) in order to evaluate the effect of the interaction between the administration of the serotonergic antidepressant compound fluoxetine and repeated cycles of TSD. Patients treated with fluoxetine plus repe ated TSD showed a faster amelioration of depressive symptomatology com pared with the other group. We discuss our findings hypothesizing an e nhancement in dopaminergic and possibly in serotonergic transmission d ue to repeated TSD adding to the increase in serotonergic transmission due to fluoxetine medication.