The effects of amineptine on the mood and nocturnal sleep of depressed patients.

The effect of amineptine, a new tricyclic antidepressant, was studied on the sleep of 12 depressed patients. A single blind comparative trial vs placebo was carried out and changes in depression symptoms were recorded using Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRSD). The sleep was evaluated according to the Rechtschaffen and Kales criteria to determine various parameters. Amineptine treatment induced statistically significant reduction of HRSD total score after 14 days of treatment. Polysomnographic analysis revealed significant differences between depressed patients and healthy volunteers.