In this placebo-controlled crossover study nicotinic acid, in a fixed dosage of 3000 mg. a day, produced statistically significant improvement in chronic hospitalized schizophrenic patients. We were able to reproduce the clinical observations and the results of previous workers; that is, the exacerbation of psychopathological symptoms by the combined administration of methionine and tranylcypromine. Nicotinic acid failed to prevent by prior administration or to relieve by subsequent administration, the methionine-tranylcypromine-induced exacerbation of psychopathology. This might have been due to the inadequate dosage of nicotinic acid given but the possibility of a toxic psychosis due to the metabolite, methionine sulfoximine, must be seriously considered.
Amoxapine, a tricyclic dibenzoxazepine is an antidepressant which in the
dosage range of 150-300 mg/day is notable for its rapid onset of action. Because of the
rather long, approximately 30-hour, half-life of 8-hydroxyamoxapine, the active metabolite
of amoxapine, the possibility was raised that amoxapine therapy may be carried out
with single daily dosages. Such a dosage schedule may improve compliance and, if appropriately
timed, decrease perception of some of the unwanted effects of the drug. To test the
hypothesis that there may be no disadvantages and perhaps even advantages of a oncea-
day regimen as compared to a divided dosage schedule, a 6-week double-blind clinical
trial was carried out in 35 hospitalized patients with major (18 patients) and minor (17
patients) depressive disorders. While no statistically significant difference was found in
overall therapeutic and adverse effects between the groups treated with single or divided
daily doses, onset of therapeutic effect appeared a bit faster in the group treated with single
daily doses. Of particular relevance for drugs which can be given in single daily doses is
their effect on psychomotor performance tests. In view of the findings that a once-a-day
dosage regimen with amoxapine may have advantages over divided daily doses, a second
study was carried out in which the effects of amoxapine (50 and 100 mg) were compared to
an inactive placebo and amitriptyline (50 mg) with and without ethanol in 8 normal male
volunteers. The study was double-blind and followed a latin square design. Since the effects
of amoxapine on motor reflex, visual-motor coordination and depth perception did not
differ significantly from placebo, the results suggest that the effects of amoxapine on the
performances measured are clinically insignificant. No significant interaction with ethanol
was noted.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.