Abstract
Electrophysiological evidence from the sleeping human is presented to support the clinical impression that the dose of the anti-depressant drug phenelzine must exceed a critical minimum and that it must be administered for longer than a minimum duration if its desired actions are to be obtained. After 5–22 days of phenelzine, 60–90 mg daily in the adult, signs of REM (paradoxical) sleep were abolished. Time of abolition in three depressed patients coincided with the start of mood improvement. Up to 52 successive nights without REM sleep had no adverse effects. “Rebound” increase of REM sleep followed withdrawal and also followed phenelzine overdose. Phenelzine tended to reduce restlessness in sleep and cause insomnia on withdrawal. Effects on REM sleep were not observed with nialamide 75 mg for 17 days, or with 500 mg by injection. Brain monoamines are thought to be implicated in the chemistry of sleep as well as in the regulation of mood.
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