Duloxetine And Citalopram In The Treatment Of Post-Stroke Depression And Anxiety

Comorbidity of anxiety disorders and depression is very frequent in post-stroke patients. Several types of biological treatments have been shown to be of benefit. The purpose of this pilot study was to investigate the relative efficacy and tolerability of duloxetine vs. citalopram in the treatment of post-stroke depression and anxiety. Participants were randomly assigned to two study groups: duloxetine (60-120 mg tid) and citalopram (20-40 mg/day). Depression and anxiety were assessed by the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) and the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HARS). A marked improvement in symptoms of depression (p<0.01) and anxiety (p<0.01) was observed throughout the three consecutive assessments in both groups, but improvement was more evident by the end of the first month in the duloxetine group. our results show that duloxetine could be an alternative option to the already-approved agents for the treatment of post-stroke depression and anxiety.