The combinations of antidepressants in the acute treatment of resistant depression: A review of randomized trials
Abstract
Depressive disorder is a common disease in the population. The use of antidepressant combinations is one of the methods to overcome treatment resistance in clinical practice.
This review critically evaluates published randomized studies. A review of the published studies was conducted using PubMed, ScienceDirect and Proquest with relevant search term in the period of 1978-2008.
Fourteen studies (n = 1508), including three open studies were identified. The response rate to treatment (described in 12 studies) was higher for combination than for monotherapy in six studies, in the rest of them it was equal.
Methodological limitations of reviewed studies included variability in the duration of treatment, different definitions of outcome, treatment resistance etc. Despite the limits of analyzed studies, their results suggest the usefulness of the use of antidepressant combination in the acute treatment of patients with resistant depression.