Efficacy and safety of quetiapine for depressive symptoms in patients with schzophrenia

Objective: To investigate the efficacy and safety of quetiapine for depressive symptoms in patients with schizophrenia. Method: Thirty-nine patients fulfilling DSM-IV-TR diagnostic criteria for schizophrenia and had depressive symptoms were studied in a prospective 6-week open-label design using quetiapine monotherapy. The brief psychiatric rating scale (BPRS), 17-item Hamilton depression rating scale (HAMD-17), Simpson - Angus rating scale, and the Barnes Akathisia rating scale (BARS) were used to assess patients at baseline, week 1, 2, 4, and 6. Results: Thirty patients (76.9%) completed this study. The dose of quetiapine at endpoint was 583 (±235 SD) mg/day. Treatment with Quetiapine was associated with significantly reduced depressive symptoms (HAMD-17 total score and BPRS depression/anxiety subscale) from the first week of treatment. Changes of mean score from baseline to endpoint were 7.8±6.2 for HAMD-17 total score and 3.4±3.6 for BPRS depression/anxiety subscale (LOCF, n=39, p<0.001). Quetiapine was well tolerated, with minimal extrapyramidal symptoms and non-significant increase in body weight (mean increase of 0.8 kg). Conclusions: While the interpretation of findings from the open-label design of this study warrants appropriate caution, the results suggest that quetiapine may be an effective and tolerable treatment for depression in patients with schizophrenia.