Augment effect of quetiapine in the treatment of depression with psychotic symptoms

Objective:To study the efficacy and safety of paroxetine combined with quetiapine for the treatment of depression with psychotic symptoms.Method:46 patients with psychotic depression were randomly assigned to two groups combined group,paroxetine combined with quetiapine,and control group,paroxetine only,for 6 weeks.Hamilton depression scale(HAMD),Wechsler memory scale revised edition(WMS-RC)and treatment emergent symptoms scale(TESS)were used to evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety.Results:The score of HAMD reduced significantly after every treatment time in two groups(P0.05-0.01),with markedly lower score of HAMD in combined group in 4 weeks and 6 weeks treatment when compared to that in control group(both P0.05).The scores of all the items in WMS-RC improved remarkably after the treatment(both P0.05),with short-term memory improved observably in combined group compared with that in control group(P0.05).There was no significant difference in adverse effects between the two groups.Conclusion:Paroxetine combined with quetiapine in the treatment of depression with psychotic symptoms may augment the treatment effect and has a better safety.