Effects of antidepressant treatment with clomipramine on hormonal responses to thyrotropin-releasing hormone and insulin-induced hypoglycemia: implications for the "monoamine-hypothesis".

Neuroendocrine test were carried out to study effects of clomipramine treatment in 24 unipolar depressed women. Clomipramine (50-150 mg/day) increased the response of prolactin and thyrotropin to stimulation by thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH), while no response of growth hormone (HGH) to TRH was seen. Clomipramine decreased the response of HGH to insulin, while the responses of prolactin and cortisol to insulin were not affected. The findings suggest that the neuroendocrine and antidepressant effects of clomipramine cannot be accounted for entirely on the basis of monoaminergic mechanisms.