TSH, HGH, HPr, and cortisol response to TRH in depressed patients.

An intravenous (0.2 mg) and an oral (40 mg) TRH-test was performed on 21 depressed patients (4 psychogenous, 17 endogenous); TSH, HGH, HRr, Cortisol, T3, T4 and RT4 were measured. The test was redone after 3 weeks of antidepressive treatment. Using an oral stimulation, it looks like there would be a possibility to differentiate into different groups according to the severity of illness. It also seems that the oral stimulation is a possibility to get information on the beginning effectiveness of antidepressive treatment. The responsiveness to the oral stimulus returns earlier than the response to the i.v. stimulation. Roughly, one can also differentiate between endogenous and psychogenous depression with an oral TRH test.