Benzodiazepines as a Monotherapy in Depressive Disorders: A Systematic Review

Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics
Giada BenasiGiovanni Andrea Fava

Abstract

The aim of this paper was to perform a systematic review and, when feasible, a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCT) which used benzodiazepines (BZD) as a monotherapy versus placebo, antidepressant drugs (AD), or both. Keyword searches were conducted for identifying RCT comparing BZD and AD, and/or placebo in the treatment of depression, using electronic databases from their inception up to April 2017. We selected reports of RCT in which BZD were compared to AD and/or placebo in the treatment of adult patients with a primary diagnosis of depressive disorder or anxious depression. When feasible, data were subjected to meta-analysis. A total of 38 studies met the criteria for inclusion and were then included in the systematic review. Only 1 study concerned a newer AD, fluvoxamine. For the meta-analysis, we submitted data on response rate from 22 RCT, considering BZD versus placebo (8 comparisons) and BZD versus tricyclic antidepressants (TCA) (20 comparisons). There was a lack of significant differences as to response rate between BZD and placebo, as well as between BZD and TCA. Analysis of individual studies disclosed that, in more than half of the studies comparing BZD to TCA and/or placebo, BZD were significantly...Continue Reading

Citations

Jan 10, 2019·International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry·Guo-Qing SunDe-Feng Hu
Jun 25, 2020·Journal of Clinical Medicine·Hiroki ShiwakuHidehiko Takahashi
May 28, 2020·International Clinical Psychopharmacology·Bryant LimSakina J Rizvi
Jun 30, 2019·CNS Spectrums·Renee-Marie RagguettRoger S McIntyre
Mar 12, 2020·Revista brasileira de psiquiatria : orgão oficial da Associação Brasileira de Psiquiatria, Asociación Psiquiátrica de la América Latina·Richard BalonNicoletta Sonino
Jul 16, 2019·Archives of Women's Mental Health·Ahmed Naguy
Jan 12, 2021·Acta Neuropsychiatrica·Willams Henrique da Costa MaynartCyro Rego Cabral Júnior
Feb 18, 2020·Revista Internacional De Andrología·Babak Hosseinzadeh ZoroufchiAbolfazl Abdollahpour
Jan 14, 2021·The International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology·Corey FeeEtienne Sibille
Aug 24, 2021·Frontiers in Neuroscience·Anton V MalyshevBernhard Luscher
Jan 25, 2019·Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics·Giovanni A FavaElena Tomba
Oct 31, 2019·Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics·Giovanni A FavaJenny Guidi
Aug 4, 2021·Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics·Fiammetta Cosci, Giovanni A Fava

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