Long-Term Tolerability of Escitalopram in Korean Adolescents.
- Author:
Ae Jin GOO
1
;
Eun Kyung WON
;
Cheolsoon LEE
;
Jong Il LEE
;
Hee Yeon JUNG
;
Yeni KIM
Author Information
1. Department of Mental Health, Seoul National Hospital, Seoul, Korea.
- Publication Type:Original Article
- Keywords:
Adolescents;
Depression;
Escitalopram;
Tolerability
- MeSH:
Adolescent*;
Citalopram*;
Depression;
Depressive Disorder;
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders;
Follow-Up Studies;
Humans;
Medical Records;
Self-Injurious Behavior;
Suicidal Ideation
- From:Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
2013;24(4):207-212
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:English
-
Abstract:
OBJECTIVES: We investigated the long-term tolerability of escitalopram in Korean adolescents. METHODS: The subjects were 37 adolescents, who had been diagnosed with depressive disorder in accordance to DSM-IV. Clinical effectiveness was assessed by Clinical Global Impression-Improvement (CGI-I) scale at the final follow-up visit. Tolerability was assessed through a medical record of the reason for discontinuation of escitalopram and documented adverse events. RESULTS: The mean duration of treatment was 78.1+/-89.5 days, and the mean dosage was 10.0+/-4.4mg/day. Out of the total 37 patients, two (5%) patients sustained use of escitalopram. Twelve patients (32.4%) discontinued use of escitalopram due to target symptom remission, and 23 patients (61.9%) due to insufficient efficacy. Six patients (16.2%) had at least one documented adverse event. However, no suicidal ideation or self-injurious behavior was reported. Significant differences in clinical symptom improvement efficacy were seen between the patients who were receiving escitalopram for less than 8 weeks (4.3%, 1/13) and those for more than 8 weeks (92.9%, 13/14). There was no significant difference between the tolerability of monotherapy compared to the concomitant use group. CONCLUSION: The results of this study suggest that long-term use of escitalopram may result in superior efficacy than short-term use, and is tolerable in Korean adolescents with depression.
