Amitriptyline and EEG sleep in depressed patients: I. Drug effect.

The paucity of studies on the tricyclic antidepressants led us to conduct an investigation on 30 drug-free patients treated with amitryptyline in a double-blind protocol over a 4-week period. Consistent with previous reports, there was an immediate REM suppression on 50 mg, which was more pronounced at the 100-mg level. However, no significant incremental changes were noticed on 150 or 200 mg with regard to REM sleep suppression. Drug administration was associated with changes in other sleep variables such as stage 1 percent, stage 2 percent, and various measures of sleep continuity. The incomplete tolerance of the drug on certain REM sleep variables enhances our understanding of amitryptyline effects on the EEG sleep of depressed patients.