Lithium and triiodothyronine augmentation of antidepressants.

Author(s): Joffe RT, Sokolov ST, Levitt AJ

Affiliation(s): Department of Psychiatry, New Jersey Medical School, Newark, New Jersey, USA. joffe@umdnj.edu

Publication date & source: 2006-10, Can J Psychiatry., 51(12):791-3.

Publication type: Randomized Controlled Trial

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the relative benefits of the combination of lithium and triiodothyronine (T3) in augmentation of antidepressants, compared with either lithium or T3 alone. METHODS: We performed a 2-week, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot study of the addition of lithium compared with T3 compared with the combination of both in subjects with major depressive disorder who had not responded to an antidepressant. RESULTS: All groups improved significantly over the 2 weeks of treatment, but there were no significant between-group differences. CONCLUSION: There may be no advantage to a combination of these augmenting agents, although we failed to show separation between active treatments and placebo.