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Fengabine in depression: A placebo‐controlled study of a GABA agonist
Author(s) -
Paykel E. S.,
van Woerkom A. E.,
Walters D. E.,
White W.,
Mercer J.
Publication year - 1991
Publication title -
human psychopharmacology: clinical and experimental
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.461
H-Index - 78
eISSN - 1099-1077
pISSN - 0885-6222
DOI - 10.1002/hup.470060209
Subject(s) - placebo , nausea , agonist , medicine , depression (economics) , incidence (geometry) , anesthesia , receptor , physics , alternative medicine , pathology , optics , economics , macroeconomics
A double‐blind controlled trial of Fengabine, a GABA agonist, against placebo was carried out in outpatient major depressives. Subjects were treated for up to 6 weeks with Fengabine three times daily using 900 mg daily in the first week and 1800 mg daily thereafter. A total of 49 subjects were included, of whom 32 completed 6 weeks. Efficacy analyses showed no evidence of superiority of active drug over placebo, and the two groups were closely comparable throughout the study. Fengabine was free of subjective side‐effects other than a small number of complaints of nausea and diarrhoea, and some ocurrence of bright yellow urine. There was a substantial incidence of raised liver enzymes: 44 per cent of patients on Fengabine developed some de novo elevation, necessitating early termination of the study. The findings did not support any therapeutic value for this group of GABA agonists in depression.