Polymorphism of the 5-HT transporter and response to antidepressants: Randomised controlled trial Full Text
The British Journal of Psychiatry, 06/08/2011
Clinical Article
Lewis G et al. – It is unlikely that the 5-HTTLPR polymorphism alone will be clinically useful in predicting response to antidepressants in people with depression.
Methods- In an individually randomized, parallel-group controlled trial, people meeting criteria for depressive episode who were referred by their general practitioner were randomized to receive either citalopram (an SSRI) or reboxetine (an NARI)
- Randomization was by means of remote automated system accessed by telephone
- Main outcome was depressive symptoms, measured by Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) total score 6 weeks after randomization
- Altogether 298 participants randomized to receive citalopram and 303 randomized to reboxetine
- At 6 weeks follow-up, complete data were available for 258 participants taking citalopram and 262 taking reboxetine
- Found no evidence to support an influence of 5-HTTLPR on outcome following antidepressant treatment
- Interaction term for BDI score at 6 weeks was 0.50 (95% CI –2.04 to 3.03, P = 0.70), which indicated that responses to SSRI and NARI similar irrespective of 5-HTTLPR genotype
