
Methods: Twelve depressed BD-I patients, with a comorbid CDD, treated with valproate 1000 to 1500 mg/d and aripiprazole 10 mg/d, were randomly assigned to receive bupropion 150 mg/d as an open-label add-on therapy (n = 5) or to continue their previous treatment (n = 7).
Results: After 4 weeks of observation, patients receiving add-on therapy with bupropion have improved in terms of Hamilton Depression Rating Scale scores and Drug Abuse Screening Test scores, with respect to those of the comparison group, whereas no significant increase of Young Mania Rating Scale scores over time was observed.
Conclusions: Our preliminary findings suggest that combining bupropion with mood stabilizers and atypical antipsychotics may be a good therapeutic option in short-term treatment of depressed BD-I patients with comorbid CDD.