“Melatonin for the Treatment of Sleep Disturbances in Major Depressive Disorder”, 1998-08-01 (; backlinks; similar):
Objective: The authors’ goal was to examine the hypnotic effects of slow-release melatonin during the initial 4 weeks of treatment with fluoxetine in 19 patients with major depressive disorder.
Method: 24 outpatients with major depressive disorder were included in the study; 19 completed the study. 10 patients were treated with fluoxetine plus slow-release melatonin and 9 were given fluoxetine plus placebo in a double-blind protocol for 4 weeks. Response was assessed by using rating scales for depression and sleep.
Results: The 10 patients given slow-release melatonin reported statistically-significantly better scores on the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) than the 9 patients given placebo. No statistically-significant differences in the rate of improvement in depressive symptoms were noted between the 2 groups. No particular side effects were noted from the combination of fluoxetine and slow-release melatonin.
Conclusion: Slow-release melatonin was effective in improving the sleep of patients with major depressive disorder. Slow-release melatonin had no effect on the rate of improvement in symptoms of major depressive disorder. The authors conclude that the role of slow-release melatonin for sleep disturbances in major depressive disorder should be investigated further.