cortodoxone and Psychotic-Disorders

The metyrapone test was applied to groups of patients suffering from major depressive illness with melancholia, mania or schizophrenia, before and after treatment. There were interesting individual correlations between post-metyrapone cortexolone values, cortexolone/cortisol ratios and clinical improvement in depressives. Two patients who had exhibited abnormal metyrapone responses displayed a normalization of post-metyrapone cortexolone values upon clinical improvement, whereas the opposite trend was observed in a patient who did not improve and in another who became manic. These preliminary results may indicate that abnormal metyrapone responses in depression are state dependent.

Topics: Adult; Aged; Antidepressive Agents; Antipsychotic Agents; Bipolar Disorder; Cortodoxone; Depressive Disorder; Female; Humans; Hydrocortisone; Imipramine; Lithium; Male; Metyrapone; Middle Aged; Psychotic Disorders; Psychotropic Drugs; Schizophrenia

The metyrapone (Metopiron) test (MT), a useful and reliable procedure for assessing hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis function, was applied to manic patients and healthy subjects. Three out of 11 patients had high normal responses to metyrapone, as observed in patients with Cushing's disease. One patient exhibited a subnormal response to metyrapone, as occurs in patients with adrenal insufficiency. No such abnormalities were detected in 11 matched healthy control subjects. These preliminary results suggest that the HPA axis activity patterns in mania may be more complex than previously reported.

Topics: 17-Hydroxycorticosteroids; Adult; Bipolar Disorder; Cortodoxone; Dexamethasone; Female; Humans; Hydrocortisone; Male; Metyrapone; Middle Aged; Pituitary-Adrenal System; Psychotic Disorders