Effect of pindolol and milnacipran versus milnacipran and placebo on plasma prolactin and adrenocorticotrophic hormone in depressed subjects

What Was Tested

Researchers studied ACTH (Corticotropin) in this randomized controlled trial publication.

Evidence that pindolol accelerates the action of antidepressants has been contradictory, and it is not clear why.

The present study analyses the relationship between plasma prolactin (PRL) and ACTH levels and changes in relation to a milnacipran and pindolol combination versus milnacipran plus placebo.

Who Took Part

The age groups tagged for this paper are adults, both men and women.

Eighty depressed patients agreed to take part in a double-blind randomized trial of milnacipran plus pindolol or placebo.

The Montgomery-Asberg depression rating scale (MADRS) was used to measure the response to treatment.

How the Study Was Run

In design terms this was a randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled study.

Random assignment meant chance, not the researchers, decided who got ACTH (Corticotropin) and who got the comparison, which limits bias.

Neither the participants nor the staff measuring them knew who was on ACTH (Corticotropin), so expectations could not easily colour the readings.

Some participants received a placebo instead of ACTH (Corticotropin), giving a reference point.

Fifty-eight of them agreed to also take measures of ACTH and PRL levels.

ACTH and PRL plasma levels were estimated on days 0 and 42 of the 6-week study.

Age, gender and time of blood collection were recorded for each individual.

The patients were grouped into those with higher versus lower basal ACTH levels using the median of the sample (25 ng/l).

What Was Measured

PubMed files the paper under topics including Adrenergic Agents, Adrenocorticotropic Hormone, Age Factors, Cyclopropanes, Depressive Disorder, Drug Synergism and Milnacipran.

What This Means in Plain Language

The paper is a randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled study of ACTH (Corticotropin).

The abstract goes on to report its results in about 7 sentences; this page does not restate them, so read the paper for the findings and their limits.

The publication is from 2003 (Human psychopharmacology), a journal based in England.

More context: the ACTH (Corticotropin) compound page, all human trials.