Double-blind comparison of lithium carbonate and imipramine in treatment of depression.

The effect of lithium carbonate therapy on patients with depression is still unconfirmed. Our past studies have shown a favorable response to the drug in patients with depression of mild or moderate severity. Therefore, we performed a controlled double-blind study of lithium carbonate and imipramine hydrochloride in 64 patients with depression. No significant differences were noted in the overall therapeutic response, depression scale scores, or clinical effects between the two drug groups.