Psychiatry Investig.  2018 Mar;15(3):313-319. 10.30773/pi.2017.05.22.

Serum N-Desmethylcitalopram Concentrations are Associated with the Clinical Response to Citalopram of Patients with Major Depression

• Ozbey G
• Yucel B
• Bodur NE
• Taycan SE
• Arslan T
• Cerit N
• Yuksel N
• Guzey IC
• Uluoglu C

• KMID: 2429161
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.30773/pi.2017.05.22

Abstract

OBJECTIVE
Citalopram (CITA) is a widely used and well-tolerated selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor. The aim of the study was to evaluate the possible influences of serum concentrations of CITA and its major metabolite n-desmethylcitalopram (NDCITA) on the efficacy and tolerability of CITA in patients with major depressive disorder.
METHODS
The study included 46 outpatients with major depressive disorder who received CITA. The efficacy and tolerability were assessed for 6 weeks. Serum CITA and NDCITA levels were measured at the 4th week.
RESULTS
The HDRS17 total scores of the patients with high NDCITA and CITA & NDCITA concentrations showed a more significant reduction compared to the patients with expected and low serum NDCITA and CITA & NDCITA concentrations. However, we did not observe a correlation between the serum concentrations and the side effects of CITA, NDCITA, and CITA & NDCITA.
CONCLUSION
Our results suggested the potential contribution of NDCITA to the antidepressant effect of CITA. Further studies involving larger clinical samples are required to confirm the impact of serum NDCITA concentrations on the efficacy of CITA.

Keyword

Serum concentration; Citalopram; N-desmethylcitalopram; Efficacy; Tolerability; Major depression

MeSH Terms

Citalopram*
Depression*
Depressive Disorder, Major
Humans
Outpatients
Serotonin
Citalopram
Serotonin