Delhi: In a new study published in The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, it was noticed that Quetiapine augmentation may be an effective treatment for major depressive disorder (MDD) with anxiety.
Quetiapine is licensed for use as an adjunctive medication for major depression and as monotherapy for bipolar depression. It is frequently used off-label to treat anxiety disorders and as a supplement for treatment-resistant depression. However, its efficacy in depression with associated anxiety disorders has not been well studied. The current trial conducted by Nisha Ravindran and her team looked at the efficacy and tolerability of quetiapine as an adjunct to first-line antidepressants for MDD patients who also had anxiety disorders.

In this multicenter study from June 2008 to June 2013, a total of 76 adults between the aged 18–65 years with a primary diagnosis of unipolar depression comorbid with at least one anxiety disorder (per DSM-IV-TR criteria) were randomly assigned to either flexible-dose quetiapine extended-release (XR) 50–300 mg/d or placebo as an add-on for 12 weeks. Depression, life satisfaction, anxiety, and negative experiences were all evaluated.
The results of this study stated as follow:
1. Anxiety, despair, and function considerably improved in both groups.
2. Quetiapine outperformed placebo in terms of alleviating depression and anxiety symptoms, as well as the Clinical Global Impressions–Severity of Illness scale score.
3. Quetiapine produced a greater degree of improvement than placebo on secondary measures such as the Beck Depression Inventory, Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale, Quality of Life Satisfaction and Penn State Worry Questionnaire and Enjoyment Questionnaire, but group differences were not statistically significant.
4. Quetiapine was well tolerated, with most side effects being modest and none being significant.
5. Quetiapine also resulted in a larger, but not statistically significant, improvement over placebo in secondary outcomes judged by established depression measures and self-reporting questionnaires.
In conclusion, evaluating this treatment technique for additional frequent comorbidities to depression (e.g., [social anxiety disorder], PTSD) in both unipolar and bipolar patients might assist those difficult-to-treat people.
Reference:
Ravindran, N., McKay, M., Paric, A., Johnson, S., Chandrasena, R., Abraham, G., & Ravindran, A. V. (2022). Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Effectiveness Study of Quetiapine XR in Comorbid Depressive and Anxiety Disorders. In The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry (Vol. 83, Issue 3). Physicians Postgraduate Press, Inc. https://doi.org/10.4088/jcp.21m14096
Keywords: anxiety, major depressive disorder, stress, quetiapine, bipolar, antidepressant, comorbidity, quality of life, social anxiety, PTSD, Nisha Ravindran, Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, depression