Serum beta-endorphin level in patients with depression on fluvoxamine

The main interest of the present study was to determine possible alteration s in beta-endorphin serum levels in healthy volunteers and in patients with depression, as well as changes in beta-endorphin serum levels caused by fl uvoxamine treatment. Fluvoxamine maleate (Fevarin((R))) was administered or ally at a dose of 200 mg/day for 4 weeks. The serum levels of beta-endorphi n were lower in patients with 'nonendogenous' depression (104.68 +/- 5.29 p g/ml) and those with 'endogenous' depression (36.34 +/- 2.23 pg/ml) than in healthy volunteers (125.19 +/- 1.64 pg/ml). The endogenously depressed pat ients had significantly lower beta-endorphin levels than the nonendogenous patients. A 4-week treatment of fluvoxamine (200 mg/day) caused a statistic ally significant increase in beta-endorphin serum levels in all patients (n onendogenous depression 132.10 +/- 2.38 pg/ml and endogenous depression 50. 09 +/- 2.45 pg/ml) in comparison to values found before the onset of the th erapy. The efficacy of fluvoxamine was 11.0 (+/- 9.0) evaluated by the Hami lton Rating Scale for Depression (HAMD) in the patients with a diagnosis of depression. These results indicate that determination of beta-endorphin se rum levels could be a valuable laboratory test in the diagnosis of depressi on. +/- 1999 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.