Amsterdam, Jay D, Shults, Justine, Rutherford, Nancy · Progress in neuro-psychopharmacology & biological psychiatry · 2008 · DOI
This study tested whether an antidepressant medication called s-citalopram could help people with ME/CFS who also had depression. Sixteen patients took the medication for up to 12 weeks, and researchers measured changes in fatigue, pain, sleep, and mood using standard questionnaires. The results showed improvements in fatigue severity, several ME/CFS symptoms, and depression scores during treatment.
This study addresses the challenge of treating ME/CFS patients with concurrent depression, a common clinical situation. The observed improvements in both ME/CFS symptom severity and depression suggest potential therapeutic benefit for this population, though methodological limitations require cautious interpretation.
This open-label, uncontrolled study cannot establish that s-citalopram caused the observed improvements—responses could reflect placebo effect, natural recovery, or regression to the mean. The small sample (n=16) and lack of randomization or control group mean findings cannot be generalized to the broader ME/CFS population. The study also does not clarify whether antidepressants are beneficial for ME/CFS patients without depression.
About the PEM badge: “PEM required” means post-exertional malaise was an explicit required diagnostic criterion for participant inclusion in this study — not that PEM was studied, observed, or discussed. Studies using criteria that do not require PEM (e.g. Fukuda, Oxford) are tagged “PEM not required”. How the atlas works →
The first block is for the primary paper and is the citation you should use in research work. The atlas-snapshot line only applies if you are specifically referring to this atlas’s reading of the paper on the date shown.
Primary citation
Amsterdam, Jay D, Shults, Justine, & Rutherford, Nancy (2008). Open-label study of s-citalopram therapy of chronic fatigue syndrome and co-morbid major depressive disorder.. Progress in neuro-psychopharmacology & biological psychiatry. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pnpbp.2007.07.019
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-amsterdam-2008-open-label,
author = {Amsterdam, Jay D and Shults, Justine and Rutherford, Nancy},
title = {Open-label study of s-citalopram therapy of chronic fatigue syndrome and co-morbid major depressive disorder.},
journal = {Progress in neuro-psychopharmacology & biological psychiatry},
year = {2008},
doi = {10.1016/j.pnpbp.2007.07.019},
note = {PubMed: 17804135},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/amsterdam-2008-open-label},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-26. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/amsterdam-2008-open-label
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