Anti-depressive treatment in Parkinson's disease. A controlled trial of the effect of nortriptyline in patients with Parkinson's disease treated with L-DOPA.
Nineteen patients with L-DOPA treated parkinsonism involving depressive symptoms, the therapeutic effect of nortriptyline was compared to placebo in a controlled trial. The depressive and neurological symptoms were evaluated by rating scales. Nortriptyline had a clinical significant effect with regard to the depressive symptoms, whereas the neurological parameters were unchanged. The authors suggest the depression in Parkinson's disease to be of both reactive and endogenous origins.
Insufficient data on the effectiveness and safety of any antidepressants therapies in Parkinson's disease are available on which to make recommendations for their use. Further large scale randomised controlled trials are urgently required in this area.