A comparative study of escitalopram augmented with olanzapine in the treatment of refractory depression

Objective To investigate the efficacy of escitalopram combined with olanzapine in the treatment of refractory depression.Methods A total of 55 patients were randomly divided into study group treated with escitalopram combined with olanzapine and control group treated with olanzapine for 12 weeks.The efficacy and side effects were evaluated with Hamilton Depression Rating Scale(HAMD) and Treatment Emergent Symptom Scale(TESS).Results Scores of HAMD in two groups both decreased significantly(P0.05) after the treatment.Scores of HAMD in study group were significantly lower than that in control group at the 8th and 12th weekend(P0.05).Side effects in the two groups were mild,but the frequency of weigh gain and hypersomnia in study group were significantly higher than those in control study(P0.05).Conclusion Escitalopram augmented with olanzapine has better effect than escitalopram monotherapy in the treatment of refractory depression with satisfactory tolerability.