The Effect of Adding Agomelatine to Escitalopram in the Treatment of Major Depressive Disorder

Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) is a psychiatric illness that imposes a high cost on the patient and the community. Over the past few decades, a variety of treatments have been used to treat depression. One of the most common treatments for depression is medication. Today, specific serotonin reuptake inhibitors are the first line of treatment for major depression. Another drug that has been considered in the treatment of depression is agomelatine. Objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of adding agomelatine to Escitalopram in treatment of major depressive disorder. Materials and methods . This study was a double-blind randomized clinical trial with before and after designs (b and a). In this study, 70 patients with MDD referred to psychiatric clinics affiliated with Yazd University of Medical Sciences were studied. Patients were randomly divided into two groups of 35 patients (agomelatine + Escitalopram and Escitalopram + placebo) and were treated for 12 weeks. Depression Scale was the Hamilton Depression Inventory and was assessed before treatment, 1, 2, and 3 months after treatment. Variables such as gender, age, marital status, level of education, occupation, and duration of illness were also collected. The data were entered into SPSS version 18 software and analyzed using statistical tests. Results . Of the 70 patients studied, 31 (44.3%) were male and 39 (55.7%) were female. There was not significant difference between gender distribution (p=0.810), marital status(p=0.789), job (p=0.651) and educational level (p=0.794). Also, no significant difference was found between the mean variables: age (p=0.563) and duration of depression (p=0.958). There was a statistically significant difference between the mean score of depression 2 months after treatment (p=0.10) and 3 months after treatment (p=0.023) in the two groups. Also the mean depression score after treatment compared to before, was significantly lower in both groups (p=0.000). Also, no significant difference was found between the frequency of drug side effects in the two groups (p=0.970). Conclusion. Adding agomelatine to Escitalopram is more effective than mood-boosting depression as a result of depression or depressive disorder alone. Future researchers in the field of MDD treatment could consider investigating the long-term effects and comparative efficacy of combining agomelatine with other antidepressants beyond Escitalopram to further enhance treatment outcomes for patients with MDD.