A comparative, multicenter trial between bromocriptine and amitriptyline in the treatment of endogenous depression

A double-blind, multicenter trial compared bromocriptine (Parlodel) with amitriptyline in 83 endogenously depressed patients. The patient sample consisted mainly of agitated endogenous depression, and most of the patients were treated within a daily dose range of 30--50 mg bromocriptine or 120--200 mg amitriptyline. In both the global assessment and the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, amitriptyline scored higher than bromocriptine, but the differences were not statistically significant. There was little difference between the drugs with respect to tolerability. Bromocriptine's potential role in psychiatry will probably be in those patients in whom an alternative treatment to standard antidepressant therapy is required and a less sedative effect with minimal anticholinergic response is indicated. Bromocriptine's use in Parkinson's disease, where the incidence of depression has been reported to be as high as 37%, has been well documented. Bromocriptine's antidepressant properties add to its therapeutic value in this disease.