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 .
Extended-release quetiapine fumarate (quetiapine XR) as adjunctive therapy in major depressive disorder (MDD) in patients with an inadequate response to ongoing antidepressant treatment: a multicentre, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study.
This study evaluated once-daily extended-release quetiapine fumarate ( quetiapine XR ) as adjunctive therapy in patients with major depressive disorder ( MDD ) with inadequate response to ongoing antidepressant treatment . In this 8-wk ( 6-wk active treatment/2-wk post-treatment drug-discontinuation/follow-up ) , multicentre , double-blind , placebo-controlled , Phase III study , 446 patients were r and omized to quetiapine XR 150 mg/d , 300 mg/d , or placebo adjunct to ongoing antidepressant treatment . The primary endpoint was the change from r and omization to week 6 in Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale ( MADRS ) total score . At week 6 , MADRS total scores significantly improved with quetiapine XR 300 mg/d vs. placebo ( -14.7 vs. -11.7 , p<0.01 ) . Quetiapine XR 300 mg/d showed significant improvements vs. placebo for : MADRS total score from week 1 onwards ; MADRS response [ ( > or = 50 % total score reduction ) 58.9 % vs. 46.2 % , p<0.05 ] and remission [ ( total score < or = 8) 42.5 % vs. 24.5 % , p<0.01 ] rates ; Hamilton Depression Rating Scale ( HAMD ) ( -13.53 vs. -10.80 , p<0.01 ) and Clinical Global Impression-Severity of illness ( CGI-S ) change ( -1.52 vs. -1.23 , p<0.05 ) at week 6 . For quetiapine XR 150 mg/d , improvements were not significantly different vs. placebo , except for MADRS ( weeks 1 and 2 ) and HAMD ( week 6 ) total scores . Withdrawal rates due to adverse events ( AEs ) were : quetiapine XR 150 mg/d 11.5 % , 300 mg/d 19.5 % , and placebo 0.7 % . The most common AEs ( > 10 % ) with quetiapine XR were dry mouth , somnolence , sedation , dizziness , constipation , nausea , insomnia , headache , and fatigue . In this study , quetiapine XR 300 mg/d as adjunctive therapy in patients with MDD with an inadequate response to ongoing antidepressant treatment was effective at week 6 . However , the difference from placebo for quetiapine XR 150 mg/d at week 6 was not statistically significant . Both doses studied ( 150 and 300 mg/d ) were effective at week 1 and generally well tolerated
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 .