Neuropharmacologic treatment of bronchial asthma with the antidepressant tianeptine: A double-blind, crossover placebo-controlled study*

1998/08/01 by Fuad Lechín, Fuad Lechin, Bertha van der Dijs +7 · 10 citations
Medicine · Neuroscience · Psychology · #Anesthesia #Antidepressant #Asthma #Asthma and respiratory diseases #Clinical trial #Crossover study #Internal medicine #Medicine #Neuroendocrine regulation and behavior #Neuroscience of respiration and sleep #Placebo #Pulmonary function testing #Randomized controlled trial #Serotonin #Tianeptine

paper · doi:10.1016/s0009-9236(98)90156-4

openalex publication_date 1998/08/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/29

Abstract

Studies have shown the levels of free serotonin in plasma are increased in symptomatic patients with asthma. In addition, the concentration of free serotonin in symptomatic children with asthma correlates positively with clinical status and negatively with pulmonary function (forced expiratory volume in 1 second [FEV1]). Thus, reducing the concentration of free serotonin in plasma may be useful in treating children with asthma. We studied the effectiveness of tianeptine in treating these patients. Tianeptine is the only drug known to be able to reduce the level of free serotonin in plasma and to enhance the uptake by platelets. Sixty-nine of the 82 children with asthma initially enrolled participated in this study. Children were randomized to receive tianeptine or placebo or both in a double-blind crossover trial. The trial lasted 52 weeks. Tianeptine provoked a dramatic and sudden decrease of both clinical rating and free serotonin plasma levels and an increase in pulmonary function.

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