Efficacy and Safety of Antidepressant Augmentation With Lamotrigine in Patients With Treatment-Resistant Depression
Efficacy and Safety of Antidepressant Augmentation With Lamotrigine in Patients With Treatment-Resistant Depression
This study reports a clinical trial evaluating lamotrigine safety and efficacy as an antidepressant augmentation agent in treatment resistant depression, therefore adding more empirical evidence to the limited number of studies on the use of lamotrigine.
Objective: This study reports a clinical trial evaluating lamotrigine safety and efficacy as an antidepressant augmentation agent in treatment resistant depression, therefore adding more empirical evidence to the limited number of studies on the use of lamotrigine.
Method: A double-blind pilot study was conducted with 34 nonbipolar, nonpsychotic patients who had DSM-IV major depressive disorder and were resistant to at least 2 antidepressants. The subjects were on taking antidepressant therapy and were randomly assigned to receive placebo or lamotrigine as an adjunct therapy for 8 weeks. They were evaluated on a biweekly basis in order to access assess the efficacy and the safety of the drug.
Inclusion Criteria:
They were selected according to a clinical interview based on DSM-IV criteria for major depressive disorder in single or recurrent episodes, with moderate to severe intensity. Besides
They also had a history of treatment-resistant depression stage II or above according to the criteria of by Thase and Rush11
Exclusion Criteria: