Quetiapine augmentation of treatment-resistant depression: a comparison with lithium

ABSTRACTObjective: The prevalence of and morbidity associated with treatment-resistant depression has motivated the exploration of treatment alternatives. In this study, quetiapine was compared with lithium in the augmentation of treatment-resistant depression.Research design and methods: Open-label, comparative study in 20 patients with major depression who had failed to respond after 4 weeks of treatment with an antidepressant at the maximal recommended dose. Patients were randomised to either lithium or quetiapine in addition to the maximally dosed antidepressant and any other concurrent medications. Lithium was initiated at 600 mg/day; quetiapine was titrated to 400 mg by day 7.Results: Depression, measured by the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM‑D), significantly improved from baseline in both quetiapine (F1,90 = 25.11, p < 0.0001) and lithium (F1,90 = 34.54, p < 0.0001). The difference in improvement between the two groups began at day 14 and was seen at all timepoints thereafter ( p < 0.05), w...