Premium
Potentiation strategies for treatment‐resistant depression
Author(s) -
Ros S.,
Agüera L.,
Gándara J.,
E. Rojo J.,
Pedro J. M.
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
acta psychiatrica scandinavica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.849
H-Index - 146
eISSN - 1600-0447
pISSN - 0001-690X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1600-0447.2005.00676.x
Subject(s) - depression (economics) , treatment resistant depression , long term potentiation , psychology , psychotherapist , psychiatry , medicine , neuroscience , clinical psychology , anxiety , antidepressant , economics , macroeconomics , receptor
Objective: To review the pharmacological basis of antidepressant potentiation in combination therapy and the clinical evidence for its efficacy. Method: Literature searches were undertaken and the results reviewed. Results: Treatment‐resistant depression is common (15–30%). Various strategies exist for dealing with resistant depression, including pharmacological potentiation, i.e. adding a treatment that itself does not have antidepressant actions but that enhances the efficacy of the original treatment. Lithium, triiodothyronine (T3) and buspirone are the best studied potentiating drugs, although other options include pindolol, dopaminergic agents, second‐generation antipsychotics, psychostimulants, hormones and anticonvulsants. Conclusion: Several pharmacological potentiation strategies exist. Whilst good evidence exists for lithium combined with antidepressants, although good results have also been reported with augmentation strategies involving T3 or buspirone.