RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Peripheral thyroid hormones and response to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors
JF Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience
JO JPN
FD Canadian Medical Association
SP 383
OP 386
VO 29
IS 5
A1 Michael Gitlin
A1 Lori L. Altshuler
A1 Mark A. Frye
A1 Rita Suri
A1 Emily L. Huynh
A1 Lynn Fairbanks
A1 Michael Bauer
A1 Stanley Korenman
YR 2004
UL http://jpn.ca/content/29/5/383.abstract
AB Objective: To examine the relation between baseline measurements of thyroid function and response to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and to consider the effect of these antidepressants on thyroid hormone levels.Methods: Nineteen subjects with major depression, but without a history of thyroid treatment or lithium treatment, were treated openly with either sertraline or fluoxetine in a university-affiliated tertiary care hospital. Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (Ham-D) scores were measured before and after treatment. Clinical Global Impressions (CGI) scores were measured at study end. Thyroid data, consisting of values for thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), triiodothyronine (T3, measured by radioimmunoassay [RIA]), thyroxine (T4, measured by RIA) and free T4, were collected before and after treatment. Complete thyroid data were available for 17 subjects. Data were collected during 1997–1999.Results: Baseline TSH correlated strongly with response to treatment as measured by change in Ham-D scores (r = 0.64, p = 0.003). Low TSH values correlated with greater improvement in depressive symptoms. Thyroid hormone levels decreased with treatment, but these decreases did not correlate with clinical improvement.Conclusion: Baseline thyroid function, as measured by serum TSH, may predict a patient’s response to antidepressant treatment with SSRIs. Optimal thyroid function, beyond simply being within the normal laboratory values, may be necessary for an optimal response to antidepressants.