Kumar, Anil, Garg, Ruchika · Fundamental & clinical pharmacology · 2009 · DOI
Researchers tested whether three common antidepressant medications could help reduce fatigue-like symptoms and improve mood and activity levels in mice subjected to repeated stress. All three medications tested—imipramine, desipramine, and citalopram—reduced immobility (fatigue-like behavior), improved movement and activity, decreased anxiety, and reduced markers of cellular damage caused by oxidative stress in the stressed mice.
This study explores potential mechanisms by which antidepressants might benefit fatigue symptoms and identifies oxidative stress as a possible contributor to CFS-like symptoms. Understanding biochemical pathways affected by chronic stress and whether antidepressants address them could inform more targeted treatment approaches for ME/CFS patients experiencing both fatigue and mood symptoms.
This animal model study does not demonstrate that these medications will be effective in humans with ME/CFS, nor does it prove oxidative stress is the primary cause of ME/CFS. Forced swimming-induced stress in mice is not equivalent to human ME/CFS, which involves complex immune, neurological, and metabolic dysfunction. The study also does not establish whether these medications work through reducing oxidative stress specifically or through other mechanisms.
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 →
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Primary citation
Kumar, Anil & Garg, Ruchika (2009). Protective effects of antidepressants against chronic fatigue syndrome-induced behavioral changes and biochemical alterations.. Fundamental & clinical pharmacology. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1472-8206.2008.00638.x
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-kumar-2009-protective-effects,
author = {Kumar, Anil and Garg, Ruchika},
title = {Protective effects of antidepressants against chronic fatigue syndrome-induced behavioral changes and biochemical alterations.},
journal = {Fundamental & clinical pharmacology},
year = {2009},
doi = {10.1111/j.1472-8206.2008.00638.x},
note = {PubMed: 19207541},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/kumar-2009-protective-effects},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-27. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/kumar-2009-protective-effects
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