Comparing Augmentation with Non-Antidepressants over Sticking to Antidepressants after Treatment Failure in Depression: A Naturalistic Study

Abstract

Introduction:

Non-response to an antidepressant monotherapy in unipolar depression is quite common. Therefore strategies for subsequent treatment steps are necessary. However, there is a lack of direct comparisons of these different strategies. In this naturalistic study we compared the outcome to different strategies after failure of the primary antidepressant treatment.

Methods:

Failure of primary antidepressant monotherapy occurred in 135 patients. 98 of these patients have been administered 4 treatment strategies of the physicians’ choice: lithium augmentation (Li-Augm), switching to another antidepressant (AD-Switch), combination of 2 antidepressants (AD-Comb) or augmentation with second generation antipsychotic (SGA-Augm). Primary outcome measure was the 17-item Hamilton rating scale for depression (HRSD).

Results:

Patients who received Li-Augm or augmentation with SGAs showed significantly greater improvement in HRSD and BDI compared to patients with antidepressant switch or antidepressant combination. Remission rates for Li-Augm and SGA-Augm were 89.3% and 86.2% compared to 40.7% for AD-Switch and 42.9% for AD-Comb.

Discussion:

Changing to another pharmacological class (Li-Augm or augmentation with SGAs) showed better treatment results than sticking to the class of antidepressants (AD-Switch and AD-Comb) after primary failure in response to antidepressant monotherapy in unipolar depression. The lack of randomization and absence of a non-response definition are design flaws. Controlled studies are required to confirm the findings of this trial.

Key words

depression - depression treatment - antidepressants

*

^* All authors contributed to and have approved the final manuscript

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