The Effect of Trimipramine on Sleep in Patients with Major Depressive Disorder

Abstract

Antidepressants generally inhibit REM sleep. This effect is often considered to be a crucial feature of these drugs. Trimipramine, however, is a tricyclic antidepressant which does not inhibit REM sleep in rats (Khazan and Brown, 1970; Wassennan and Khazan, 1971). This result could be confirmed in man: Dunleavy et al. (1972) administered this drug to two healthy volunteers and found no alteration of REM sleep. In our present study we examined the action of trimipramine on sleep in patients with major depressive disorder. We were especially interested in the effect on REM sleep parameters. In order to elucidate the mode of action of this 'drug, we investigated, in addition, the question of whether the effect of trimipramine on prolactin, human growth hormone, and cortisol resembled that of other antidepressants.