EPO is a candidate drug for depression. A better drug for these kind of studies is carbamylated EPO (CEPO) because it does not elevate systemic hematocrit and hemoglobin level.
http://brainposts.blogspot.com/2011/01/is-erythropoetin-epo-candidate-drug-for.html"Current clinical trial of EPO for depression and neurocognitive symptoms in depression: The Danish team is now conducting a clinical trial of EPO with the design outlined in the last manuscript below. The key elements of the design for this study include:
Cases Definition: Treatment-resistant depression or patients with bipolar disorder in full or partial remission with residual cognitive problems
Drug: EPO 40,000 IU IV or placebo once weekly for 8 weeks
fMRI: Screening and week 14
Neuropsych Testing: Baseline, week 9 and week 14
Psychopathological Ratings: Weekly for 5 weeks, week 9 and 14
Safety monitoring: Hematology, blood chemistries, BDNF, inflammatory and metabolic markers regularly throughout the study.
EPO can have adverse effects. Increased red cell blood mass can produce an increased clotting risk potentially increasing risk for thromboembolism, stroke or myocardial infarction. Despite the potential risk, I think EPO deserves study and with these initial promising results may provide hope for a novel treatment for depression."
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18616414?dopt=AbstractJ Neurosurg. 2007 Aug;107(2):392-7.
Treatment of traumatic brain injury in rats with erythropoietin and carbamylated erythropoietin (CEPO).
Systemic hematocrit was significantly increased at 48 hours and 1 and 2 weeks after treatment with EPO but not with CEPO.
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