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Journal of Psychopharmacology, Vol. 9, No. 4, 386-389 (1995)
DOI: 10.1177/026988119500900415
© 1995 British Association for Psychopharmacology

Detoxified alcoholics, major depressives and tyramine sulphate excretion

A.S. Hale

Department of Psychiatry, University of Sheffield, Northern General Hospital, Sheffield S5 7AU

R. Hannah

Department of Chemical Pathology, Royal Postgraduate Medical School, Institute of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, London W6 0XG, UK

M. Sandler

Department of Chemical Pathology, Royal Postgraduate Medical School, Institute of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, London W6 0XG, UK

V. Glover

Department of Chemical Pathology, Royal Postgraduate Medical School, Institute of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, London W6 0XG, UK

The excretion of tyramine sulphate after challenge with an oral load of tyramine was assessed in recently detoxified, clinically depressed alcoholics and a matched group of major depressives. Tyramine excretion in the alcohol group (mean 5.95 ± 3.28 mg/3 h SD) was in the range previously observed in controls and was significantly higher than in the matched depressives (mean 3.43 ± 2.37 mg/3 h SD). Tyramine sulphate excretion has been suggested as a genetic vulnerability marker for major depression. This study suggests that depression associated with alcohol withdrawal is not characterised by decreased tyramine sulphate excretion after oral tyramine challenge, such decreased conjugation only being present, perhaps, in those patients with pre- existing endogenous depressive vulnerability. Although a genetic link between alcoholism and depression exists, these results support the absence of such a link to major depression.

Key Words: tyramine • challenge test • alcoholism • depression


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