Clinical efficacy and safety of escitalopram in the treatment of depressed elderly patients with insomnia

Abstract

Objective To investigate the clinical efficacy and safety of escitalopram in the treatment of depressed elderly patients with insomnia. Methods According to the digital table, 60 depressed elderly patients with insomnia were selected and randomly divided into the control group and the observation group, 30 cases in each group.The control group was treated by citalopram, the observation group was treated by escitalopram, the two groups were treated for 8 weeks.The depression and sleep quality were tested by HAMD and PSQI before and after treatment, and the incidence of adverse reactions and the total clinical efficacy were compared between the two groups in the same time. Results Compared with pre-treatment, the HAMD scores in the control group and observation group were decreased from (26.76±3.47)points and (26.53±3.44)points to (13.48±1.36)points and (18.25±2.15)points respectively; the PSQI scores were decreased from (26.76±3.47)points and (26.53±3.44)points to (13.48±1.36)points and (18.25±2.15)points respectively, and the differences were statistically significant(all P<0.05). After treatment, compared with the control group, the HAMD score(t=10.270, P=0.000) and PSQI score(t=-7.712, P=0.000) in the observation group were significantly lower.The incidence rate of adverse effects was lower(χ2=0.425, P=0.935) and the total effective rate was higher, but without statistically significant differences(χ2=2.785, P=0.426). Conclusion Escitalopram can improve the depression of elderly depression patients with insomnia, improve sleep quality with high safety. Key words: Depressive disorder; Sleep initiation and maintenance disorders; Escitalopram; Middle aged; Aged