A randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled trial of oral creatine monohydrate augmentation for enhanced response to a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor in women with major depressive disorder.

Abstract

OBJECTIVE:

Antidepressants targeting monoaminergic neurotransmitter systems, despite their immediate effects at the synaptic level, usually require several weeks of administration to achieve clinical efficacy. The authors propose a strategy of adding creatine monohydrate (creatine) to a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) in the treatment of patients with major depressive disorder. Such augmentation may lead to a more rapid onset of antidepressant effects and a greater treatment response, potentially by restoring brain bioenergetics at the cellular level.

METHOD:

Fifty-two women with major depressive disorder were enrolled in an 8-week double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial and randomly assigned to receive escitalopram in addition to either creatine (5 g/day, N=25) or placebo (N=27). Efficacy was primarily assessed by changes in the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D) score.

RESULTS:

In comparison to the placebo augmentation group, patients receiving creatine augmentation showed significantly greater improvements in HAM-D score, as early as week 2 of treatment. This differential improvement favoring creatine was maintained at weeks 4 and 8. There were no differences between treatment groups in the proportion of patients who discontinued treatment prematurely (creatine: N=8, 32.0%; placebo: N=5, 18.5%) or in the overall frequency of all reported adverse events (creatine: 36 events; placebo: 45 events).

CONCLUSIONS:

The current study suggests that creatine augmentation of SSRI treatment may be a promising therapeutic approach that exhibits more rapid and efficacious responses in women with major depressive disorder.

• Authors: In Kyoon Lyoo, Sujung Yoon, Tae-Suk Kim, Jaeuk Hwang, Jieun E Kim, Wangyoun Won, Sujin Bae, Perry F Renshaw
• Journal: The American journal of psychiatry (Am J Psychiatry) Vol. 169 Issue 9 Pg. 937-945 (Sep 2012) ISSN: 1535-7228 [Electronic] United States
• PMID: 22864465 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Randomized Controlled Trial, Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't, Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.)

Chemical References

• Antidepressive Agents
• Serotonin Uptake Inhibitors
• Citalopram
• Creatine

Topics

• Administration, Oral
• Adult
• Aged
• Antidepressive Agents (administration & dosage, adverse effects, therapeutic use)
• Citalopram (administration & dosage, therapeutic use)
• Creatine (administration & dosage, adverse effects, therapeutic use)
• Depressive Disorder, Major (drug therapy)
• Double-Blind Method
• Drug Therapy, Combination (methods, psychology)
• Female
• Humans
• Middle Aged
• Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (administration & dosage, therapeutic use)
• Women's Health