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Acupuncture enhances effects of antidepressants on anxious depression
Acupuncture enhances effects of antidepressants on anxious depression
Acupuncture may serve as a beneficial adjunctive therapy when combined with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) for patients with anxious depression (AD). A subgroup analysis conducted by Chinese researchers included data from a pragmatic trial involving 465 patients with moderate-to-severe depression. Participants were randomly assigned to one of three groups for six weeks of treatment: manual acupuncture (MA) plus SSRIs, electro-acupuncture (EA) plus SSRIs, or SSRIs alone. The acupuncture points used were Baihui DU-20, Yintang M-HN-3, Fengfu DU-16, bilateral Fengchi GB-20, Dazhui DU-14, bilateral Neiguan P-6, and bilateral Sanyinjiao SP-6. Eighty% of the patients met the criteria for AD. At the start of the study, the AD subgroup reported a longer duration of their current depressive episode, more severe depression, and a lower quality of life compared to the non-anxious depression (NAD) subgroup. For AD patients, both MA+SSRIs and EA+SSRIs resulted in significantly better outcomes compared to SSRIs alone. These outcomes included higher treatment response and remission rates, as well as greater improvements in depression and quality of life scores. Additionally, AD patients who received acupuncture experienced a faster onset of treatment effects and reported fewer side effects from the antidepressants. The effect sizes ranged from small to medium. In the NAD subgroup, there were no significant differences in most outcome measures between those who received add-on acupuncture treatments and those who received SSRIs alone. However, acupuncture did appear to accelerate the effects of SSRIs in the NAD group, leading to an earlier onset of action.
(Acupuncture as Add-on Therapy to SSRIs Can Improve Outcomes of Treatment for Anxious Depression: Subgroup Analysis of the AcuSDep Trial. Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat. 2024 May 16:20:1049-1064).
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