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Response to SSRIs and role of the hormonal therapy in post-menopausal depression.

Zanardi R, Rossini D, Magri L, Malaguti A, Colombo C, Smeraldi E

Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Vita-Salute University San Raffaele Hospital, Via Stamira D'Ancona 20, Milan 20127, Italy. zanardi.raffaella@hsr.it

The aim of this study is to prospectively evaluate the antidepressant response to SSRIs in depressed post-menopausal women with or without hormonal therapy (HT), and to analyze the possible influence of basal serum levels of gonadotropins and sexual hormones on the antidepressant response. 170 post-menopausal women with a depressive episode (DSM-IV criteria)--47 on HT and 123 not on HT--started the treatment with an SSRI. Depressive symptoms were assessed at baseline and 7 weeks thereafter by raters blind to treatment regimen. Response rates were 63.2% in the group without HT and 83.7% in the HT group (p=0.013). An inverse correlation emerged between the basal levels of LH and the improvement in HRSD scores (p=0.001) in the group without HT. In conclusion, HT appeared to improve the antidepressant response to SSRIs. Furthermore, in post-menopausal women, LH basal levels may be taken into account as possible predictor of response.

Published 2 April 2007 in Eur Neuropsychopharmacol, 17(6): 400-5.
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