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It is increasingly acknowledged that most patients do not achieve remission from major depressive episodes after treatment with an SSRI. To determine whether buspirone augmentation would benefit patients with depression refractory to SSRIs, these researchers conducted a double-blind, placebo-controlled, manufacturer-supported study involving 102 outpatients who fulfilled DSM-IV criteria for major depression and who failed to respond to a minimum of 6 weeks of treatment with either citalopram or fluoxetine.
To minimize the placebo effect, the design utilized a single-blind, wash-in period of 2 weeks in which placebo was added to patients' SSRI treatment; then, patients were randomized to receive buspirone (10 to 30 mg, twice per day) or place…