Lithium Versus Paroxetine in Major Depression

• Status: Completed
• Trial end date: 2013-02-01
• Target enrollment: 0
• Participant gender: All

Summary

This study is being done to look at how well people respond to two different drug treatments for depression. Clinically, people can respond differently to different treatments for reasons which are not always clear. Some research shows that people with a family history of bipolar disorder or completed suicide may react differently to standard medications used to treat depression than those without a family history. The investigators need to know if these drugs are effective to use in patients with depression who have a family history of bipolar disorder or completed suicide.

• Phase: Phase 4
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers?: No

Details

• Lead Sponsor: Nova Scotia Health Authority
• Treatments: Lithium Carbonate; Paroxetine; Polystyrene sulfonic acid

Criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

• men or women

• age of 18 years or older

• meet criteria for major depressive episode, and have a family history of bipolar disorder or completed suicide

Exclusion Criteria:

• subjects not able to give informed consent

• pregnant or breast-feeding women

• current panic disorder, post traumatic stress disorder or psychosis

• subjects with a history of mania or hypomania

• subjects with active substance abuse or dependence in the last 6 months

• current depressive episode less than 4 weeks or greater than 12 months in duration

• adequate trial of lithium or paroxetine (lithium level ≥ 0.6mmols/l; paroxetine 20mgs ≥ 5 weeks) for this episode of depression

• concurrent use of other antidepressants or augmenting agents for the treatment of depression

• clinically significant medical illness, in particular renal impairment