Pattern of Serum Electrolytes Changes among Non Psychotic Depressives on Amitriptyline.

Background: Electrolytes have an extraordinarily central role in biological processes and play an important role in forming the internal environment by which the human nervous system responds to external events. Hence, abnormalities of electrolytes could cause alteration in cellular excitability and produce other biochemical abnormalities. This study investigated the pattern of changes of serum electrolytes in depressive subjects following therapeutic clinical improvement on amitriptyline treatment. Method: Serum electrolytes, Na+, K+, Ca2+, Mg2+, were measured in 30 depressed patients at the Neuropsychiatric Hospital Rumuigbo, Port Harcourt before therapy commenced and after four (4) weeks of amitriptyline. Thirty (30) known non psychotic disordered subjects matched for age and sex were used as control. Results: The mean serum sodium in depressed subjects was 130mmol/l and 125mmol/l pre- therapy and four weeks post therapy respectively, while that of controls was 132mmol/l (p 0.05). The mean serum calcium level was 2.2mmol/l in the control group while that of the depressed patients was 2.1 mmol/l both pre-therapy and after fours weeks of use of amitryptiline (p> 0.05). Mean serum magnesium among control subjects was 0.7mmol/l but diminished from 1.2 mmol/l to 1.0 mmol/l in depressed subjects pre-therapy and after four weeks of therapy respectively(p Keywords : Non psychotic depressives, amitryptiline, serum electrolyte Nigerian Journal of Psychiatry Vol. 6 (1) 2008: pp. 37-39