Abstract
This study prospectively examined whether continued add-on treatment with oxcarbazepine (OXC) is associated with quantitative
improvement in mood and anxiety symptoms in adult patients with partial epilepsy. Depressive symptoms and anxiety were assessed
by clinical interview using the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS), the Cornell Dysthymia Rating Scale (CDRS), the Beck
Depression Inventory (BDI), and the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HARS). Forty controls (patients with epilepsy treated with antiepileptic
drugs other than OXC) and 40 OXC-treated patients were enrolled and completed the study. In our study, a significant
improvement in affect, as measured by the CDRS, was demonstrated during the course of OXC treatment for 3 months. HDRS and
BDI scores also declined in the OXC-treated group, but these decreases did not reach statistical significance. In addition, 28 of 40
OXC-treated subjects who were dysthymic by CDRS criteria on study entry (score P20) demonstrated affective improvement consistent
with a treatment-related antidepressant effect (score <20). Although our results do not provide conclusive evidence supporting the specific
use of OXC as an antidepressant, the significant decline in dysthymic symptoms in OXC-treated subjects compared with controls
lends support to the hypothesis that OXC improves mood.
Lingua originale | English |
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pagine (da-a) | 397-401 |
Numero di pagine | 5 |
Rivista | EPILEPSY & BEHAVIOR |
Stato di pubblicazione | Pubblicato - 2007 |
Keywords
- Oxcarbazepine
- epilepsy
- mood