Combined thioridazine and desipramine: early antidepressant response.

The authors examined the effect of combined thioridazine (THI) and desipramine (DMI) for an early antidepressant response in 14 patients with a DSM III diagnosis of major depressive disorder with melancholia. All 14 patients received a constant dose of 200 mg DMI/day for 21 days while 7 patients received 100 mg THI/day for only the first 7 days. A significantly greater improvement from baseline Hamilton Depression Scale (HDS) scores occurred during the first 7 days in patients receiving both drugs. Possible mechanisms for this early antidepressant action are discussed.