The Use of Anticonvulsants to Augment Antidepressant Medication

Combination therapy that couples classical antidepressants with other psychoactive compounds isone of the major therapeutic strategies in therapy-resistant depression. The authors review reports onthe antidepressive effects of the mood stabilizers carbamazepine and valproate and focus on the pharmacodynamicand clinical aspects of combining these compounds with antidepressant drugs. In addition,a pivotal study (N = 10 outpatients) demonstrates the use and efficacy of a low-dose combinationtherapy of carbamazepine and amitriptyline. It is concluded that low-dose combination of classicalantidepressants and mood stabilizers appears to be well tolerated and highly effective.