Prediction of imipramine antidepressant response by a one-day dextro-amphetamine trial

This study provides additional evidence that there is a moderate association between the acute activation, euphoria, and antidepressant responses to dextro-amphetamine and the antidepressant response to imipramine during a four-week trial. Comparison of the responses of 13 patients to dextro-amphetamine on two different days during a double blind trial indicated that differences in dextro-amphetamine response are consistent, replicable characteristics of individual depressed patients. The variables of sex, diagnosis, diurnal mood variation, platelet MAO activity, and MMPI scale scores were of minimal assistance in revealing factors that might be associated with activation or antidepressant responses to dextro-amphetamine in this small patient group. The authors suggest the need for larger-scale studies in this area.