Objective: To evaluate agomelatine treatment in elderly patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) who developed hyponatremia while using selective serotonin receptor inhibitors (SSRIs).
Methods: Patients (60 years or older) with hyponatremia after SSRI treatment for MDD were changed to agomelatine 50 mg/day during one month to observe sodium levels during the treatment and change in depressive symptoms. Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) and the Clinical Global Impression Scale (CGI) of severity were used before and after treatment with agomelatine.
Results: The mean age of our sample (five patients) was 75.3 (SD ± 7.8) years. Sodium levels while using SSRIs were reported with a mean of 122.54 (SD ± 10.8) mEq/L. Mean MADRS and CGI scores on SSRIs before treatment with agomelatine were 27.8 (SD ± 3.90) and 5 (SD ± 0.71) respectively. After 4 weeks of treatment with agomelatine 50 mg/day, mean scores of sodium were reported at 135.48 (SD ± 1.6) mEq/L, and mean MADRS and CGI scores were 13.6 (SD ± 8.35) and 2.4 (SD ± 1.5). The difference in means of the MADRS scale before and after treatment with agomelatine was found to be statistically significant (27.8 [3.89] versus 13.6 [8.35], p = < 0.01).
Conclusion: Our open observational study suggests that agomelatine represents a safe and effective treatment option for elderly patients with major depressive disorder and previous SSRIs-induced hyponatremia.
© 2024 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.