Effect of combination treatment of buspirone hydrochloride and mirtazapine on elderly patients with depression

Objective To observe the effect of combination treatment of buspirone hydrochloride and mirtazapine on depression in the elderly and to assess the safety.Methods Fifty-seven elderly patients with depression were divided into two groups: study group treated with combination of buspirone hydrochloride and mirtazapine with thirty patients and control group treated only with mirtazapine with twenty-seven patients.Hamilton Depression Rating Scale(HAMD),Hamilton Anxiety Scale(HAMA) and Side Effects Scale(TESS) were used for six weeks to observe the effectiveness and adverse reactions.Results At the first treatment weekend,HAMD and HAMA scores were decreased in both groups and there were significant differences between the two groups(P0.01).After the second weekend,there were no significant differences between the two groups in HAMD and HAMA scores.At the sixth weekend,the effective rate of the two groups were 83.3% and 81.5% respectively,without statistical differences.And there were no remarkable differences between the two groups in TESS scores at each weekend.Conclusions Compared with mirtazapine,combination of buspirone hydrochloride and mirtazapine in the treatment for depression in the elderly has faster and greater effectiveness with more patients' satisfaction and better compliance.