There were some beneficial effects compared to placebo or antidepressants but tolerability was worse .
Quetiapine was more effective than placebo treatment .
Aripiprazole and quetiapine and partly also olanzapine and risperidone augmentation showed beneficial effects compared to placebo .
Some evidence indicated beneficial effects of low-dose amisulpride for dysthymic people .
Most SGAs showed worse tolerability
BACKGROUND Major depressive disorder ( MDD ) is a common condition with a lifetime prevalence of 15 % to 18 % , which leads to considerable suffering and disability .
Some antipsychotics have been reported to induce remission in major depression , when added to an antidepressant .
OBJECTIVES To evaluate the effects of second-generation antipsychotic ( SGA ) drugs ( alone or augmentation ) compared with placebo or antidepressants for people with MDD or dysthymia .
Amisulpride in medium-term treatment of dysthymia: a six-month, double-blind safety study versus amitriptyline
Two hundred and fifty patients participated in a 6-month , double-blind study to evaluate safety and e¤cacy of a medium-term treatment with amisulpride 50 mg/day versus amitriptyline 2575 mg/day in dysthymia . Patients in treatment groups ( 165 amisulpride ; 85 amitriptyline ) were well balanced for demographic and baseline characteristics . A total of 139 patients ( 93 amisulpride , 46 amitriptyline ) completed the study with no statistically signifcant di¡erences in reasons for premature termination between the two groups . A tendency towards a higher incidence of treatment-emergent adverse events with amitriptyline was observed ( 73 % versus 64 % amisulpride ) . In the amitriptyline group , a statistically signifcantly higher incidence of central nervous system ( 41 % versus 24 % , p=0.004 ) and autonomic nervous system disorders ( 45 % versus 16 % , p50.0001 ) was reported . Conversely , endocrine disorders were more frequent with amisulpride ( 18 % versus 7 % , p=0.023 ) . E¤cacy was a secondary end-point . Results of the symptom rating scales indicate that both drugs were equally e¡ective : 60 % and 62 % of patients under amisulpride and amitriptyline , respectively , achieved a reduction 550 % of the Montgomery and Asberg Rating Scale total score at end-point . On the item ` global improvement ' of the Clinical Global Impression , 67 % of amisulpride and 68 % of amitriptyline patients were rated as ` very much ' or ` much ' improved . Results of the present study in a large patient population further confrm the safe use of amisulpride in dysthymia and support its administration upon a medium-term treatment period
There were some beneficial effects compared to placebo or antidepressants but tolerability was worse .
Quetiapine was more effective than placebo treatment .
Aripiprazole and quetiapine and partly also olanzapine and risperidone augmentation showed beneficial effects compared to placebo .
Some evidence indicated beneficial effects of low-dose amisulpride for dysthymic people .
Most SGAs showed worse tolerability
BACKGROUND Major depressive disorder ( MDD ) is a common condition with a lifetime prevalence of 15 % to 18 % , which leads to considerable suffering and disability .
Some antipsychotics have been reported to induce remission in major depression , when added to an antidepressant .
OBJECTIVES To evaluate the effects of second-generation antipsychotic ( SGA ) drugs ( alone or augmentation ) compared with placebo or antidepressants for people with MDD or dysthymia .