Case Report: Three Years of Refractory Atypical Depression Successfully Treated With“Old School” Moclobemide (maoi-r)

Abstract

BackgroundAtypical depression is linked to bipolarity and specific response to mono amino oxidase inhibitors (MAOI), treatments not commonly used due to their complex handling. We describe a successfully treated case.MethodologyClinical description. Depression severity is assessed with Montgomery Asberg depression rating scale (MADRS).Clinical caseFemale, 54-year-old. Major depression, since 2011, refractory to venlafaxine/aripiprazol and escitalopram 20 mg/day. Manic episode with psychotic symptoms after potentiation with duloxetine. Diagnose of schizoaffective disorder was made, treated with aripiprazol 10 mg/day, with established chronical depressive symptoms, despite addition of valproate and venlafaxine, and partial response to pramipexole up to 1 mg/day.– Decision of cleaning up aripiprazol during 8 days and switch to moclobemide monotherapy was made due to atypical features. Baseline MADRS: 31. At week 2, there is change in mood, expression, psychomotor features and speech formal and content alterations. At week 4, activity increases, and biorythms normalize. At week 8 (with 600 mg/day increased dose), full response is obtained, including drive, and anxiety, with MADRS 12.– After one year of treatment, she has kept stability with no manic or psychotic symptoms emergence. Reduction in dose are linked to depression relapses. She still struggles with psychosocial recovery.– Tolerance has been good in all moment, except for headache crisis, not linked to high blood pressure or diet.ConclusionsMAOI still has a role in affective disorders treatment, given its effectiveness, unique mechanism of action and good tolerability. Targeted psychopharmacological and phenomenology knowledge can be the key to a recovery.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.