BACKGROUND Depressed patients who initially fail to achieve remission when placed on a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) may require a second treatment. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness, cost, cost-effectiveness, and budget impact of second-line pharmacologic treatment for major depressive disorder (MDD). METHODS A cost-effectiveness analysis...

BACKGROUND Early life stress has been demonstrated to increase the risk of developing depression in adulthood. However, the roles and associated molecular mechanisms of stresses in the onset and relapse of depression have yet to be fully elucidated. METHODS Depression-like behaviors were induced in rats by maternal deprivation and chronic unpredictable stress. Depression- and anxiety-like beh...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE The anti-oestrogen tamoxifen requires metabolic activation to endoxifen by cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes, predominantly CYP2D6. Potent CYP2D6-inhibiting antidepressants can seriously disrupt tamoxifen metabolism, probably influencing the efficacy of tamoxifen. For this reason, paroxetine and fluoxetine are recommended not to be used with tamoxifen in breast cancer patie...

Recent concerns over the impact of antidepressant medications, including the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), on cardiovascular function highlight the importance of research on the moderating effects of specific lifestyle factors such as physical activity. Studies in affective neuroscience have demonstrated robust acute effects of SSRIs, yet the impact of SSRIs on cardiovascular...

BACKGROUND Although meta-analyses have shown that placebo responses are large in Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) trials; the placebo response of devices such as repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) has not been systematically assessed. We proposed to assess placebo responses in two categories of MDD trials: pharmacological (antidepressant drugs) and non-pharmacological (device- r...

BACKGROUND Agomelatine was efficacious in reducing symptoms in a short-term placebo-controlled trial in generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and in preventing relapse in a longer term placebo-controlled study. An additional short-term placebo-controlled study is required by regulatory agencies to confirm the efficacy of agomelatine in GAD. METHOD This 12-week, placebo-controlled, double-blind, ...

Several conditions and drugs induce subclinical hypothyroidism. We report a case of asymptomatic and reversible subclinical hypothyroidism in a 48-year old woman with minor depressive disorder receiving therapy with escitalopram 20 mg daily for six months.

BACKGROUND Although alterations in not only the pain sensitivity but also the analgesic effects of opioids have been reported under conditions of stress, the influence of unpredictable chronic mild stress (UCMS) on the antinociceptive effects of opioid analgesics remains to be fully investigated. The present study examined the influence of UCMS on the thermal pain sensitivity and antinociceptiv...

OBJECTIVE We aimed to identify those patients with hepatitis C virus who benefit most from prophylactic treatment with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) during antiviral therapy. METHOD We performed post hoc analyses on a prospective randomized controlled trial (n = 79) of escitalopram versus placebo during antiviral therapy with pegylated interferon and ribavirin, conducted bet...