Involutional depression

For the treatment of psychoneurotic patients with depression or anxiety depression or anxiety associated with alcoholism or organic disease psychotic depressive disorders with associated anxiety including involutional depression and manic-depressive disorders. 

Montenegro R, Comide E, Castro JM, et al Nimodipine in the treatment of involutional depressive syndrome, in Nimodipine Pharmacological and Clinical Studies. Edited by Betz E, Deck K, Hoffmeister F. Stuttgart, Germany, Schattauer, 1985, pp 345-358... 

Oral LD50 values range from 1 to 3gkg in rodents. A dermal LD50 of 1.3gkg was determined in rabbits. An inhalation LC50 of 4600 ppm was determined in mice. In animals, systemic effects from sublethal, or short-term exposures, are kidney damage, thymic involution, depression of blood cell counts, and depression of bone marrow cellularity. 

In Western terms, Lisa s pattern of symptoms is fairly typical of a classic form of depression previously known as melancholia or involutional depression. On a chemical level, it s the result of insufficient norepinephrine and dopamine, the chemicals used to stimulate our brains. With depleted reserves of these crucial neurotransmitters, we find it difficult to remain awake, alert, and stimulated. As a result, we fall into the condition that fits the stereotyped view of depression so tired and weighed down that it s literally difficult to get out of bed. 

The use of folliculin in involutional stress was proposed already in the early 1930s (Sevringhaus 1933). Since then, there were several early attempts to use estrogen for treatment of postmenopausal depression (Wiesbader and Kurzrok 1938). 

While insulin shock therapy is applicable mainly in cases of schizophrenia in their comparatively early stages, electro-shock therapy is applicable to manic depressive psychoses and to involutional... 

In rats, EGME and its metabolite have also been reported to cause thymic involution in the absence of effects on body weight or spleen weight, reduced response to T cell mitogens, depressed production of interleukin-2, and altered response to primary antibody plaque-forming cells. Mice were not affected. 

Nortriptyline appeared to be somewhat more consistently effective than the other agents, except in involutional melancholia. Particularly impressive was the improvement rate in the manic depressive group (87% vs. 69% for the others). Side effects were generally mild, although dryness of the mouth occurred in 52% of the patients. Somnolence occurred in only 8% of the patients and, as with desipramine, the secondary amine congener appeared to be less of a central depressant. Onset of action was fairly prompt. Initial improvement occurred after 7 to 10 days. 

The mean GSH index in psychotic patients (schizophrenia, manic-depressive psychosis, and involutional melancholia) ranges from 25 to 35 mg. per 100 cc. packed RBC (standard deviation 6.1) and the mean normal GSH index ranges from 63 to 93 mg. per 100 cc. packed RBC (standard deviation 11.3) as determined by six (56-61) groups of investigators during the past twenty years. Insulin and electric shock therapy raise the GSH content of the blood in these patients (61-63). 

Clinical - Some improvement was observed in retarded children treated with cypenamine (26) the drug caused no untoward side-effects. A controlled trial of U-23,807A (27) in patients with neurotic-., involutional-, or reactive depression indicated that the drug-treated cases fared no better, and possibly worse, than those receiving placebo The basic ester meclofenoxate... 

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