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Rapid response to the addition of lithium in iprindole-resistant unipolar depression: a pilot study

Published Online:https://doi.org/10.1176/ajp.142.2.220

The authors administered lithium carbonate, 900 mg/day, in an open study to seven patients with a major unipolar depression refractory to 3-week treatment with iprindole, 90 mg/day, a tricyclic antidepressant devoid of any action on monoaminergic reuptake. All patients showed clinically significant improvement within 48 hours. Since iprindole induces in the animal a sensitization of forebrain neurons to serotonin (5-HT), as do other tricyclic antidepressants, and lithium enhances the activity of 5-HT neurons, the authors propose that an enhanced release of 5-HT on sensitized target neurons might underlie the rapid antidepressant effect in tricyclic-refractory depression when lithium is added to the treatment regimen.

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