Use of liothyronine in preventing electroconvulsive therapy-induced memory impairment: evaluation

Aims and method To evaluate the effect of liothyronine administration on the cognitive side-effects of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), 30 participants with major depressive disorder that were suitable candidates for ECT were randomly allocated to either a liothyronine or a placebo group. Participants in the liothyronine group received a daily 50 μg dose for the whole period of receiving ECT starting the day before ECT, whereas the other group received a placebo. The Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRSD) and the Wechsler Memory Scale – revised (WMS-R) were used for evaluating mood and memory before the first ECT session and after the sixth session (the HRSD was also used after the third session). Results The results indicated that after the sixth ECT session, participants that received liothyronine achieved significantly better scores on the HRSD and WMS-R. Clinical implications Further studies with a larger number of participants, through multicentre research projects, are indicated to obtain adequate data for meta-analysis and systematic review.

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