Skip to content
Home
About Us
Resources
Profiles Metrics
Authors Directory
Institutions Directory
Top Authors
Top Institutions
Top Sponsors
AI Digest
Contact Us
Menu
Home
About Us
Resources
Profiles Metrics
Authors Directory
Institutions Directory
Top Authors
Top Institutions
Top Sponsors
AI Digest
Contact Us
Home
About Us
Resources
Profiles Metrics
Authors Directory
Institutions Directory
Top Authors
Top Institutions
Top Sponsors
AI Digest
Contact Us
Menu
Home
About Us
Resources
Profiles Metrics
Authors Directory
Institutions Directory
Top Authors
Top Institutions
Top Sponsors
AI Digest
Contact Us
Publication Details
AFRICAN RESEARCH NEXUS
SHINING A SPOTLIGHT ON AFRICAN RESEARCH
medicine
The efficacy of adjunctive N-acetylcysteine in acute bipolar depression: A randomized placebo-controlled study
Journal of Affective Disorders, Volume 245, Year 2019
Notification
URL copied to clipboard!
Description
Objective: To investigate the efficacy of adjunctive N-acetylcysteine (NAC) for the treatment of acute bipolar depression. Method: A randomized, double-blind, multicentre, placebo-controlled trial including adult subjects diagnosed with bipolar disorder, currently experiencing a depressive episode. Participants were treated with 3 g/day NAC or placebo as an adjunctive to standard treatment for 20 weeks, followed by a 4-week washout where the blinding was maintained. The primary outcome was the mean change in the Montgomery Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) score over the 20-week treatment phase. Linear Mixed Effects Repeated Measures (LMERM) was used for analysing the primary outcome. Results: A total of 80 subjects were included. The mean MADRS score at baseline was 30.1 and 28.8 in participants randomized to NAC and placebo, respectively. Regarding the primary outcome measure, the between-group difference (NAC vs. placebo) was 0.5, which was statistically non-significant (95% CI: -7.0-5.9;p = 0.88). All findings regarding secondary outcomes were statistically or clinically insignificant. Limitations: The study had a placebo response rate of 55.6% - high placebo response rates are associated with failure to separate from placebo. Conclusions: Based on our primary outcome measure, we could not confirm previous studies showing a therapeutic effect of adjunctive NAC treatment on acute bipolar depression. Further studies with larger samples are needed to elucidate if specific subgroups could benefit from adjunctive NAC treatment. © 2018 Elsevier B.V.
Authors & Co-Authors
Licht, Rasmus Wentzer
Denmark, Aalborg
Aalborg Universitetshospital
Denmark, Aalborg
Aalborg University
Nielsen, René Ernst
Denmark, Aalborg
Aalborg Universitetshospital
Denmark, Aalborg
Aalborg University
Dean, Olívia May
Australia, Geelong
Barwon Health
Australia, Melbourne
The Florey
Australia, Melbourne
Royal Melbourne Hospital
Berk, Michael
Australia, Geelong
Barwon Health
Australia, Melbourne
The Florey
Australia, Melbourne
Royal Melbourne Hospital
Australia, Melbourne
Orygen Youth Health
Statistics
Citations: 35
Authors: 4
Affiliations: 10
Identifiers
Doi:
10.1016/j.jad.2018.10.083
ISSN:
01650327
Research Areas
Disability
Mental Health