Citation

Ong A, Lan G. Phillippine Journal of Internal Medicine 2011; 49(2): 100-104.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2011)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

AIM: To evaluate the effectiveness and tolerability of escitalopram under naturalistic conditions in adult outpatients in the Philippines suffering from depression.

METHODS: A 4-week, open-label, multi-centre, observational study was conducted in the Philippines enrolling 3005 patients. Clinical effectiveness was evaluated with the Clinical Global Impression scales.

RESULTS: 91% of patients who received escitalopram completed 4 weeks of treatment. The mean CGI-S score decreased from 4.6±1.0 at baseline to 2.4±1.0 at Week 4. The percentage of patients achieving remission of depressive symptoms (CGI-S≤2) increased from baseline to Week 4, so that at Week 4, 54.3% of patients achieved remission. The percentage of patients with much or very much improvement in depression (CGI-I score≤2) increased from 17.2% at Week 1 to 78.4% at Week 4. The incidence of adverse events (<10%) and the incidence of patients who withdrew due to adverse events (<1%) was low. The most frequently reported adverse event was nausea (1.8%), followed by headache (0.9%). There were no deaths or other serious adverse events, nor were there any attempted or completed suicides during the study.

CONCLUSION: In patients in the Philippines with depression, treatment with escitalopram was welltolerated and associated with improvements in the patient's severity of illness, and an increased proportion of patients achieving remission of depressive symptoms. No new safety findings with escitalopram were observed in the treatment of these patients.

Language: en

Keywords

adult; human; Depression; female; male; incidence; insomnia; depression; anxiety; psychosis; outpatient; article; major clinical study; controlled study; antihypertensive agent; neuroleptic agent; sexual dysfunction; alprazolam; drowsiness; confusion; drug safety; benzodiazepine derivative; drug efficacy; diarrhea; drug tolerability; nausea; drug withdrawal; benzodiazepine; restlessness; Observational study; hypertension; side effect; hypnotic agent; escitalopram; diabetes mellitus; clonazepam; remission; flatulence; dyspnea; heart palpitation; dizziness; observational study; abdominal discomfort; drug induced headache; drug dose increase; open study; Escitalopram; recommended drug dose; Clinical global impression; Ssri; vulvovaginal disease; vulvovaginal dryness