Psychiatry and Clinical Psychopharmacology

Mood disorders Pramipexole use in treatment-resistant bipolar depression

Psychiatry and Clinical Psychopharmacology 2013; 23: Supplement S262-S262
Keywords : bipolar depression
Read: 2163 Published: 17 March 2021

Bipolar disorder, especially depressive episode, is a common, recurrent mood disorder which is associated with high disability, suicidality and comorbidity rates among psychiatric disorders. When compared with unipolar depression, bipolar depression presents more frequently psychomotor retardation and anhedonia. This clinical aspect raises different approaches in terms of dopaminergic system, which has been linked to depression. Pramipexole is a non-ergot derivative, dopamine D2-D3-D4 receptor agonist for the treatment of idiopathic parkinsonism. . We aimed to discuss “dopaminergic drugs in bipolar depression” by presenting a treatment resistant bipolar depression case that responded to low dose (1mg /day) pramipexole. A 44-year-old male patient was hospitalized due to intense depressive complaints since a period of 3 weeks. Three years ago he had his first depressive episode, followed by one manic and one depressive episode. He was using Lithium 900 mg/day and escitalopram 10 mg/day. He lost his job and got divorced because of mood episodes. After clinical admission, medical treatment reorganized as escitalopram 20 mg/day and lithium 1200 mg/day (a target blood level of 0.82-1.02) and quetiapine 300 mg/day. Due to the lack of energy, difficulty in concentration and sleepiness, ongoing depressed mood and because of the ineffectiveness of quetiapine, in the sixth week of treatment, pramipexole was added on the treatment as 0.125 mg three times a day and two days after, its dose was increased to 0.75mg/day. First week of this treatment especially the lack of energy and anhedonia were clearly reduced and depressive symptoms and sleepiness complaints were disappeared. During the five-month period relapse has not been observed. In this case we aimed to discuss the use of a dopamine agonist pramipexole in treatment-resistant bipolar depressive disorder. Although the adequate dose and duration of antidepressant, lithium and quetiapine augmentation, this present case did not respond to treatment. After the second week of pramipexole treatment, a dopamine receptor agonist, the patient’s depressive symptoms improved. Differently ergot derivatives such as bromocriptine and pergolide have no effects on D1 receptors and differently ropinirole which is a non-ergot derived dopamine agonist shows high affinity for the D3 receptor subtypes in mesolimbic system. This feature of pramipexole, may help improve motor and psychiatric symptoms (eg, depression) observed in Parkinson’s disease and clinical studies have revealed its antidepressant effect in major depression and bipolar depression.
 

EISSN 2475-0581