Comparative evaluation of amisulpride and escitalopram on Hamilton anxiety rating scale among depression patients in a tertiary care teaching hospital in Nepal

Authors

  • Vijay Kaul Department of Psychiatry, Nepalganj Medical College, Nepalganj, Nepal
  • Shakti B. Dutta Department of Pharmacology, Shri Guru Ram Rai Institute of Medical & Health Sciences, Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India
  • Mirza A. Beg Department of Pharmacology, Shri Guru Ram Rai Institute of Medical & Health Sciences, Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India
  • Shalu Bawa Department of Pharmacology, Shri Guru Ram Rai Institute of Medical & Health Sciences, Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India
  • Mohammed Anjoom Department of Pharmacology, Shri Guru Ram Rai Institute of Medical & Health Sciences, Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India
  • Nand K. Singh Department of Psychiatry, Shri Guru Ram Rai Institute of Medical & Health Sciences, Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India
  • Srihari Dutta Immunization Health Specialist, UNICEF, India Country Office, New Delhi, India

Keywords:

Depression, Amisulpride, Escitalopram, Hamilton anxiety rating scale

Abstract

Background: Depression is an important global public health problem and is a major cause of disability and premature death. The present study was conducted to compare efficacy and safety of amisulpride and escitalopram on Hamilton anxiety rating scale (HAM-A) among depression patients in a tertiary care teaching hospital in Nepal.

Methods: The study was conducted in patients for 1-year in the Department of Neuropsychiatry, Nepalgunj Medical College and Teaching Hospital. A total of 117 depression patients were divided into two groups. Group I (58 patients) received amisulpride tablet at a dose of 50 mg/day and Group II (59 patients) were given escitalopram at a dose of 10 mg/day. The patients were required to follow-up at 4, 8 and 15 weeks. The efficacy of the drugs was calculated by HAM-A. Adverse drug reactions (ADRs) were monitored at every follow-up. Appropriate statistical tools using Graphpad instat 3.0 were used for analysis p<0.05 was considered significant.

Results: HAM-A score in group receiving amisulpride at 0 and 15 weeks was 19.83±0.33 and 8.17±0.32 (p<0.0001). HAM-A score in group receiving escitalopram at 0 and 15 weeks was 20.76±0.28 and 8.98±0.24 (p<0.0001). Gastrointestinal disturbances, sexual disturbances, amenorrhea, lactation, agitation, and insomnia were the commonly encountered ADRs.

Conclusion: Both amisulpride and escitalopram were highly effective in the treatment of anxiety in depression patients during the study period. Further, more clinical studies with longer follow-up duration are needed to substantiate the therapeutic effects of amisulpride.

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Published

2017-01-21

How to Cite

Kaul, V., Dutta, S. B., Beg, M. A., Bawa, S., Anjoom, M., Singh, N. K., & Dutta, S. (2017). Comparative evaluation of amisulpride and escitalopram on Hamilton anxiety rating scale among depression patients in a tertiary care teaching hospital in Nepal. International Journal of Basic & Clinical Pharmacology, 4(2), 349–353. Retrieved from https://www.ijbcp.com/index.php/ijbcp/article/view/925

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Original Research Articles