Paroxetine as Antidepressant in Combined Antidepressant-neuroleptic Therapy in Delusional Depression: Observation of Clinical Use

Abstract

The combination of antidepressive and antipsychotic (neuroleptic) medication is often used in the psychopharmacological treatment of delusional depression. In most studies of the treatment of delusional depression, tricyclic antidepressants have been used, and very little has been written about experience with SSRIs such as fluvoxamine, fluoxetine, or paroxetine. This paper therefore presents the preliminary findings of an open clinical study in which 14 delusional depressed inpatients, consecutively admitted to our Depression Unit, were given paroxetine combined with either zotepine or haloperidol. It was possible to observe a significantly impressive decline in the HAMD (24-item version) total score, of so-called delusional items (HAMD subscore of items 2, 17, 18, 20, 23, 24) and of the subscore of remaining HAMD items over 21 treatment days. There were no unusual side-effects.