Study Using Pregnenolone to Treat Bipolar Depression

Determine if pregnenolone supplementation is associated with greater improvement in depressive symptoms than placebo in persons with Bipolar Depression (BPD), depressed phase. In our pilot study, pregnenolone showed a strong signal on depression scores. Secondary 1. Determine if pregnenolone supplementation is associated with greater improvement in anxiety symptoms in persons with BPD, depressed phase. Data from prior studies suggests that pregnenolone may decrease symptoms of anxiety. Anxiety is a common and clinically important feature of BPD. Therefore, we will examine anxiety symptoms in this trial. 2. Determine if pregnenolone supplementation is associated with improvement in manic symptoms as compared to placebo in persons with BPD, depressed phase. Our pilot study suggested that pregnenolone may be associated with improvement in manic symptoms. Although the current study targets bipolar depression we will also examine manic symptoms.