Thyroid function and growth hormone secretion in amitriptyline-treated depression.

The authors studied changes in indices of thyroid function prospectively in a group of 11 patients given amitriptyline to treat depression. The drug caused no significant alteration in these indices, but scores on the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale improved significantly. In another group of subjects with depression, the stimulation of growth hormone secretion by L-dopa was unaffected by amitriptyline therapy.