Controlled Studies of the Acute Antidepressant Effects of Lithium

Abstract

SummaryIn two randomized double-blind controlled trials on 63 depressed female in-patients subject to recurrent affective disorder (bipolar and unipolar manic-depressive psychosis) lithium was shown to have major acute antidepressant effects. At the end of three weeks lithium produced more uniform improvement than did imipramine; lithium in combination with tryptophan (in the form of Optimax) was superior to tryptophan alone—the latter drug having no discernible antidepressant activity in this group of patients.Lithium did not produce an antidepressant effect until the second and third week of both trials.