Prednisone augmentation in treatment-resistant depression with fatigue and hypocortisolaemia: a case series.

Abnormalities of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis have long been implicated in major depression with hypercortisolaemia reported in typical depression and hypocortisolaemia in some studies of atypical depression. We report on the use of prednisone in treatment-resistant depressed patients with reduced plasma cortisol concentrations. Six patients with treatment-resistant major depression were found to complain of severe fatigue, consistent with major depression, atypical subtype, and to demonstrate low plasma cortisol levels.

Neuropharmacology of paradoxic weight gain with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors.

It has been suggested that weight gain associated with tricyclic antidepressants (TCA) reflect actions on dopamine (DA) and histamine receptors. However, a definitive cause is purely assumptive given the nonselective pharmacology of these agents. The selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), as well as agents like dexfenfluramine (DFF), have emphasized the pivotal role of serotonin (5HT) in reducing carbohydrate (CHO) intake, and have provided a more selective tool with which to study appetite regulation.

Moclobemide and fluoxetine for panic disorder. International Panic Disorder Study Group.

An international, multicentre, double blind parallel group study compared the tolerability and efficacy of moclobemide with the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) fluoxetine for panic disorder. SSRIs have been shown effective for panic. The target dose of moclobemide was 450 mg and of fluoxetine was 20 mg.

Panic disorder following torture by suffocation is associated with predominantly respiratory symptoms.

Background: We previously reported that in panic disorder a history of near-suffocation is associated with predominantly respiratory panic attacks. It might be hypothesized that the near-suffocation experienced in certain kinds of torture is also associated with the development of predominantly respiratory panic attacks.

Methods: A sample of patients who had experienced torture (N = 14) was drawn from an Anxiety Disorders Clinic in South Africa.

Hyperresponsivity to nicotinic acid challenge in generalized social phobia: a pilot study.

Although blushing is an almost pathognomonic feature of social phobia, little is known about the neurobiology of blushing in this disorder. Nicotinic acid (100 mg), a vasodilator that may induce flushing, was administered to six male patients with generalized social phobia and to six healthy male controls. Compared with controls, patients demonstrated increased flushing, anxiety, autonomic activity, and temperature after nicotinic acid administration.