Depression during methadone withdrawal: no role for beta-phenylethylamine.

Area of Science:

• Neurochemistry
• Pharmacology
• Psychiatry

Background:

• Atypical depression is a common complication of methadone withdrawal.
• This depression may resemble states of beta-phenylethylamine (PEA) deficiency.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate urinary free PEA excretion in methadone patients during withdrawal and steady dosing.
• To determine if methadone dosage affects PEA turnover.
• To assess the influence of hepatic dysfunction on PEA turnover in these patients.

Main Methods:

• Measured 24-h urinary free PEA excretion in detoxified methadone patients, steady-dosed patients, withdrawing patients, and controls.
• Assessed liver chemistries, [13C]aminopyrine excretion, and estradiol 2-hydroxylation.
• Utilized global severity ratings for subject evaluation.

Main Results:

• No significant difference in PEA excretion was found between fully detoxified methadone patients and normal controls.
• PEA excretion showed no correlation with methadone dosage in steady-dosed or withdrawing subjects.
• Liver disease measures did not correlate with PEA excretion, despite its prevalence.

Conclusions:

• The findings do not support a role for beta-phenylethylamine deficiency in the depression associated with methadone withdrawal.
• Methadone dosage does not appear to influence PEA turnover in the studied patient groups.