Anyone hear of RU 486 (Mifepristone) for psychotic depression?

Apparently there's been studies showing good promise about it for psychotic depression. It's actually an abortion pill that regulates cortisol. Just wanted to know if anyone else heard of it.

Yes, a former pdoc discussed it with me. I do not recall what the hurdles were to getting and trying it or what stage the research was at at that time.

Aborting depression ... Now there's an idea ... !!!

I'd never heard of this before...all I've known about RU-486 is that it's a drug used for abortion purposes. This is an interesting bit of information, actually.

RU 486 is a synthetic steroid in the antiglucocorticoid class of medications. They reduce glucocorticoid a substance that increases the concentration of liver glycogen and blood sugar, i.e. cortisol (hydrocortisone), cortisone and corticosterone. The cortisol-lowering action may be of clinical benefit in select individuals with major depression.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2671735/
http://apt.rcpsych.org/content/15/4/242.full
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/1...20905/abstract

Studies of RU 486 and antiglucocorticoid steroids shows promise with particular depressive disorders. Though more comprehensive longitudinal studies and meta-anylaysis need to be used.

http://www.hindawi.com/journals/drt/2012/393251/

[The results of this pilot study are limited by the small sample size and all the male veteran sample. Additionally, half of all study participants were veterans of the Vietnam or post-Vietnam era; these veterans may have had PTSD of a much longer duration when compared to OIF/OEF veterans, which may confound the results of the study. However, this clinical trial had a high retention rate and no adverse events or complaints about study procedures, suggesting that mifepristone treatment is safe, tolerable, and acceptable to veterans with PTSD, as has been found in other populations. The positive findings of this pilot clinical trial provide an important proof of the concept that treatment with mifepristone is a feasible strategy for improving clinical outcomes in veterans with PTSD; accordingly, further study is indicated. Should this neuroendocrine agent yield evidence of efficacy in PTSD, there are many potential uses which could be explored: as single or intermittent monotherapy in patients reluctant to take long-term medications, as an adjunct to pharmacotherapy, psychotherapy, or other standard treatments, or as prophylaxis in acutely traumatized persons.]