Efficacy of Paroxetine plus Amisulpride for Depressive Episode Associated with Psychotic Symptoms

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical efficacy of paroxetine plus amisulpride for depressive episodes associated with psychotic symptoms. METHODS: 140 patients with depressive episodes associated with psychotic symptoms were randomly assigned to either observation group or control group,of 50 cases each. The control group received paroxetine alone while the observation group received paroxetine plus amisulpride. The curative efficacy was evaluated at 1,2,4,and 8 weeks of treatment using Hamilton depression scale( HAMD) and the adverse drug reactions were evaluated using the symptoms scale( TESS). RESULTS: The response rate in the observation group was significantly higher than in the control group( 90. 0% vs. 64. 0%; P 0. 05). Before treatment,no statistically significant differences were noted in HAMD scores between the two groups( P 0. 05),however,after treatment,statistically significant differences were noted in HAMD scores for the two groups( P 0. 05),indicating that both paroxetine alone and paroxetine plus amisulpride were effective for depressive episodes associated with psychotic symptoms. The differences between the two groups at 1,2,4,and 8 weeks were all statistically significant( P 0. 05). CONCLUSION: Paroxetine is safer and more effective for depressive episodes associated with psychotic symptoms if used in combination with amisulpride,thus the combination therapy is worthy of clinical promotion.