Can antidepressants prevent interferon-alpha-induced depression? A review of the literature

Abstract 

Objective

To review the literature about the efficacy of antidepressant prophylaxis during interferon-alpha (IFN-α) therapy.

Method

We have performed a database search in PUBMED and ISI Web of Knowledge (1980–August 2009) for the available literature. The keywords “prevention” or “prophylaxis”, and “depression”, and “interferon”, and “antidepressant” or “antidepressive agents” were used.

Results

The six eligible studies comprise three randomized controlled trials, two in hepatitis C virus (HCV) patients and one in individuals with melanoma, and three open-label studies with HCV patients. The results of the randomized controlled trials suggest that antidepressant prophylaxis may blunt the magnitude of depressive symptoms in HCV patients and raise the rates of treatment completion. In melanoma patients, this preventive strategy may reduce the incidence of depression during IFN-α treatment. In addition, the open-label studies with HCV patients suggest that this strategy may reduce the onset of major depression in specific samples (current psychiatric diagnosis, major depression in remission, past history of IFN-α-induced depression) on IFN-α (re-)treatment.

Conclusions

In the face of so few trials about the usefulness of prophylaxis with antidepressants before IFN-α treatment, there is not enough information to sufficiently and widely support this strategy to prevent depression. However, this approach may, nonetheless, bring some beneficial outcomes, if applied to specific patient groups.

Keywords: Major depression, Interferon-alpha, Prevention, Antidepressant, Review