Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Aripiprazole Boosts Efficacy of Antidepressants in Older Patients With Major Depressive Disorder: Presented at AAGP

Adjunctive aripiprazole appears to be effective in relieving the symptoms of depression in patients aged 50 years or older, according to research presented at the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry (AAGP) 22nd Annual Meeting.

J. Craig Nelson, MD, University of California San Francisco School of Medicine, San Francisco, California, and colleagues presented the findings here on March 6. According to the researchers, the treatment effect of selective serotonin-reuptake inhibitors is generally minimal in elderly patients with major depressive disorder. The current study sought to determine whether adjunctive aripiprazole might benefit this population when added to standard antidepressant treatment.

Aripiprazole is an atypical antipsychotic currently approved for use only as an adjunct to antidepressant medication.

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