Abstract
BACKGROUND: This study compares the short- and long-term effectiveness and safety of pramipexole augmentation (PA) and aripiprazole augmentation (AA) for unipolar treatment-resistant depression (TRD). METHODS: Patients were recruited in a private out-patients clinic specializing in mood disorders. At intake and at each visit, depressive and (hypo)manic symptoms, clinical status, and level of functioning were evaluated with appropriate scales. The trend of outcomes was analyzed using mixed-effect linear regression models. RESULTS: The study includes 81 patients with unipolar TRD treated with PA and 51 with AA. After 12 and 24 weeks of treatment with PA, the predicted response (64.1% and 76.2%) and remission rates (49.7% and 72.7%) were significantly higher than the predicted response (32.2% and 38.0%) and remission rates (18.9% and 28.1%) for AA. The improvement in psychosocial functioning was significantly greater and faster in PA than in AA. PA showed significant superiority over AA as a maintenance strategy (time spent ill and psychosocial functioning) up to 12 months. No difference in safety was found at each time point. CONCLUSIONS: PA could be an alternative option for the short- and long-term treatment of unipolar TRD, more effective than AA and similar in safety. These preliminary results need confirmation from randomized clinical trials.