Methylphenidate as a treatment for depression in acquired immunodeficiency syndrome: an n-of-1 trial.

Background: Uncontrolled studies report that methylphenidate effectively treats depression in patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Other studies report that methylphenidate improves cognition in patients with dementia stemming from human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). We performed a double-blind, place-controlled n-of-1 trial to learn whether methylphenidate was an effective treatment for depression in an outpatient with mild HIV dementia. Method: The patient received either placebo or drug in a double-blinded fashion in increasing doses in each of three 2-week phases (A=placebo, B=methylphenidate, C=placebo)