Review Article, J Addict Behav Ther Rehabil Vol: 5 Issue: 4
A Review Of The Literature Of Mirtazapine In Co-Occurring Depression And An Alcohol Use Disorder
| Cornelius JR1*, Chung TA1, Douaihy AB1, Kirisci L2, Glance J2, Kmiec J2, Wesesky MA2, FitzGerald D3 and Salloum I3 | |
| 1Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, USA | |
| 2University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, USA | |
| 3University of Miami, Miami, USA | |
| Corresponding author : Jack R. Cornelius
Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, 3811 O’Hara Street, PAARC Suite, Pittsburgh PA 15213, USA Tel: 412-246-5186 E-mail: corneliusjr@upmc.edu |
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| Received: September 28, 2016 Accepted: December 23, 2016 Published: December 30, 2016 | |
| Citation: Cornelius JR, Chung TA, Douaihy AB, Kirisci L, Glance J, et al. (2016) A Review of the Literature of Mirtazapine in Co-Occurring Depression and an Alcohol Use Disorder. J Addict Behav Ther Rehabil 5:4. doi: 10.4172/2324-9005.1000159 |
Abstract
Background: Prior medication studies involving individuals with major depression in combination with an alcohol use disorder (MDD/AUD) have mainly focused on SSRI and tricyclic antidepressants, with generally ineffective results. Consequently, effective treatments for that common comorbid condition remain elusive. Mirtazapine is an antidepressant medicine with a unique pharmacological profile, whose effectiveness for treating noncomorbid depression reportedly may exceed that of SSRIs. Objective/Methods: We now review the published literature regarding the tolerability and efficacy of mirtazapine for the treatment of the depression and the pathological alcohol ingestion of individuals with co-occurring MDD/AUD, including a review of four of our own small studies and two studies conducted outside the United States. Results/Conclusions: The findings of these studies suggest that mirtazapine is well tolerated among persons with comorbid MDD/AUD. Results also provide some evidence of efficacy for mirtazapine for decreasing the level of depression of persons with co-occurring MDD/AUD, and suggest that decreases in depression may occur relatively quickly after starting treatment, but provide no evidence of effectiveness for decreasing the level of alcohol ingestion. Large-scale double-blind, placebo-controlled studies are warranted to further clarify the tolerability and efficacy of mirtazapine among individuals with MDD/AUD.
