Open Label Trial of Fluoxetine for the Treatment of Depression in Patients With End Stage Renal Disease

A 12-Week Open-Label Trial of Once-Weekly Fluoxetine for the Treatment of Depression in Patients With End-Stage Renal Disease

The purpose of this study is to test whether once-weekly prozac therapy leads to reduction in depression in patients requiring kidney dialysis.

Once-weekly Prozac is a psychiatric medicine, approved by the FDA for the use in treatment of psychiatric disorders. This study will test whether once-weekly Prozac leads to reduced symptoms of depression. Patients requiring dialysis often report symptoms of depression either due to the presence of major depression, a relatively common psychiatric disorder, or due to depression secondary to kidney failure.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Diagnosis of chronic renal failure and end stage renal disease
• Ongoing need for regular dialysis treatment
• Diagnosis of depression based on DSMIV
• Age tween 19-65 years

Exclusion Criteria:

• Inability to provide informed consent
• Medically or psychiatrically unstable, as defined by requiring inpatient treatment
• Pregnancy, nursing or refusal to use a reliable method of birth control in women
• Patients with known allergy to fluoxetine, or previous treatment failure of fluoxetine