Posted by Elizabeth on June 3, 1999, at 11:12:41
In reply to Re: MAOIs--types of depression/sexual side-effects, posted by JD on June 3, 1999, at 7:32:44
>Nonetheless, while MAOIs don't necessarily have a stunning track record in treating "simple" melancholia (they are rarely used for this nowadays anyhow), ....
Actually, my dx is major depressive disorder, recurrent, with melancholic features.
Early research on MAOIs in melancholic ("endogenous" or "major") depression suggested they didn't work very well, but used low doses (e.g., 45mg of phenelzine). This subtype of depression often requires high doses of whatever drug you end up using (Effexor, for example), so it's no surprise that those early studies got poor results.
More recent research using higher doses has suggested that MAOIs do indeed work very well in endogenous/melancholic depression. It doesn't seem to be the case that MAOIs work preferentially for atypical depression, but rather that tricyclics *don't* work very well in atypical depression.
poster:Elizabeth
thread:6917
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/19990601/msgs/7011.html