Retrospective Study
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2023. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Clin Cases. Oct 16, 2023; 11(29): 7017-7025
Published online Oct 16, 2023. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v11.i29.7017
Clinical efficacy and safety of Guipi decoction combined with escitalopram oxalate tablets in patients with depression
Jia Yu, Feng-Quan Xu
Jia Yu, Psychiatry Department, Beijing Changping Hospital of Traditional and Western Medicine, Beijing 102206, China
Feng-Quan Xu, Department of Psychosomatic Medicine, Guang'anmen Hospital, Chinese Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Beijing 100053, China
Author contributions: Yu J proposed the concept of this study; Xu FQ collected the data; Yu J and Xu FQ contributed to formal analysis; Xu FQ and Yu J participated in the investigation; Yu J and Xu FQ contributed to the methodology; Yu led the study; Xu FQ validated the study; Xu FQ and Yu J contributed to the visualization of the research; Xu FQ and Yu J drafted the manuscript; Yu J and Xu FQ reviewed and edited the manuscript.
Institutional review board statement: The study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Beijing Changping Hospital of Traditional and Western Medicine.
Informed consent statement: All study participants, or their legal guardian, provided informed written consent prior to study enrollment.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest to disclose.
Data sharing statement: No additional data are available.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Feng-Quan Xu, MD, Associate Professor, Department of Psychosomatic Medicine, Guang'anmen Hospital, Chinese Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, No. 5 Beixiange, Xicheng District, Beijing 100053, China. qazujm1258@163.com
Received: July 12, 2023
Peer-review started: July 12, 2023
First decision: August 2, 2023
Revised: August 5, 2023
Accepted: September 18, 2023
Article in press: September 18, 2023
Published online: October 16, 2023
Processing time: 93 Days and 10.8 Hours
Abstract
BACKGROUND

Depression is a widespread mental health condition that requires effective treatment. In the treatment of depression, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) offers obvious advantages, fewer adverse reactions, and a lower recurrence rate.

AIM

To evaluate the clinical benefits of Guipi decoction combined with escitalopram oxalate tablets for individuals with depression.

METHODS

In total, 80 patients diagnosed as having depression were enrolled in the study and divided into either an experimental group or a control group. All of the patients were orally administered escitalopram oxalate tablets. Additionally, the experimental group received Jiajian Guipi decoction and reduced Governor vessel fumigation over 4 wk. TCM syndrome scores, Hamilton depression rating scale (HAM-D) scores, self-rating depression scale (SDS) scores, and Pittsburgh sleep quality index scores were measured for the two groups and compared before and after the treatment. The two groups were monitored for any adverse reactions.

RESULTS

After 4 wk of treatment, both groups exhibited a significant reduction in TCM syndrome scores compared with their pre-treatment scores (P < 0.05). However, the experimental group exhibited significantly lower TCM syndrome scores than the control group (P < 0.05). Similarly, the post-treatment SDS and HAM-D-24 scores were significantly lower in both groups than the pre-treatment scores (P < 0.05), with the experimental group exhibiting lower scores than the control group (P < 0.05). The total treatment efficiency was significantly better in the experimental group (97.14%) than in the control group (77.78%) (P < 0.05). Furthermore, after 4 wk of treatment, the Pittsburgh sleep quality index scores for both groups were significantly lower than those before the treatment (P < 0.05), with the experimental group exhibiting lower scores than the control group (P < 0.05). The incidence of adverse reactions was significantly lower in the experimental group than in the control group (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

The combination of Guipi decoction and escitalopram oxalate tablets was found to be an effective and safe treatment for depression. This combination could reduce TCM syndrome scores, improve depressive symptoms, and enhance sleep quality.

Keywords: Jiajian Guipi decoction; Escitalopram oxalate tablets; Depressive disorder; Sleep quality; Traditional Chinese medicine syndromes

Core Tip: The combination of Guipi decoction and escitalopram oxalate tablets showed promising clinical benefits for individuals with depression. In this study involving 80 patients who were divided into either an experimental group or a control group, the experimental group receiving both treatments exhibited significantly lower Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndrome scores compared to the control group. After treatment, both groups experienced notable reductions in self-rating depression scale and Hamilton depression rating scale scores, with the experimental group showing greater improvement. The total treatment efficiency was significantly better in the experimental group. Additionally, both groups demonstrated improved sleep quality based on Pittsburgh sleep quality index scores. The experimental group had a lower incidence of adverse reactions compared to the control group. These findings indicate that the combined therapy effectively reduced TCM syndrome scores, improved depressive symptoms, and enhanced sleep quality in patients with depression. Thus, Guipi decoction combined with escitalopram oxalate tablets demonstrates potential as a safe and effective treatment option for depression, warranting further research and consideration in clinical practice.