Clin Psychopharmacol Neurosci.
2025 Feb;23(1):144-154. 10.9758/cpn.24.1255.
Effectiveness of Buspirone in Alleviating Anxiety Symptoms in Patients with Depressive Disorder: A Multicenter Prospective Observational Study in Korea
- Affiliations
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- 1Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Korea
- 2Woo and Bahk Psychiatry Clinic, Seoul, Korea
- 3Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, Daegu Catholic University, Daegu, Korea
- 4Department of Psychiatry, Hallym University College of Medicine, Chuncheon, Korea
- 5Department of Psychiatry, Jeonbuk National University Medical School, Jeonju, Korea
- 6Department of Psychiatry, Soonchunhyang University Cheonan Hospital, College of Medicine, Soonchunhyang University, Cheonan, Korea
- 7Department of Psychiatry and Sleep Medicine Center, Gil Medical Center, Gachon University College of Medicine, Incheon, Korea
- 8Department of Psychiatry, Jeju National University Hospital, Jeju, Korea
- 9Department of Psychiatry, Sanggye Paik Hospital, College of Medicine, Inje University, Seoul, Korea
- KMID: 2565668
- DOI: http://doi.org/10.9758/cpn.24.1255
Abstract
Objective
We aimed to investigate the effectiveness of buspirone as an adjunctive therapy for alleviating anxiety symptoms in patients with depressive disorders who are already taking antidepressants.
Methods
This was an open-label prospective multicenter non-interventional observational study conducted over 12 weeks. We enrolled 180 patients diagnosed with depressive disorders according to DSM-5 criteria and Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAMA) scores ≥ 18. Participants were already taking selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors or serotoninnorepinephrine reuptake inhibitors and were prescribed adjunctive buspirone. Efficacy was assessed using HAMA, Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD), Clinical Global Impression Scale-Improvement, Clinical Global Impression Scale-Severity, Sheehan Disability Scale (SDS), and WHO-5 Well-Being Index.
Results
The efficacy analysis included 161 patients. HAMA scores decreased significantly from 25.2 ± 6.7 at baseline to 15.4 ± 8.6 at 12 weeks (p ＜ 0.001), whereas HAMD scores decreased from 19.4 ± 4.6 to 12.7 ± 5.7 (p ＜ 0.001). WHO-5 and SDS scores showed significant improvements. The HAMA response rate was 39.1% and the remission rate was 13.7% at 12 weeks. Adverse drug reactions were reported in 3.7% of participants. Subgroup analyses showed no significant differences in treatment response based on buspirone dosage, baseline anxiety/depression severity, or benzodiazepine use.
Conclusion
Adjunctive buspirone therapy effectively improved anxiety symptoms in depressed patients taking antidepressants, regardless of baseline symptom severity or buspirone dosage. The treatment was well-tolerated with few adverse events. Future studies using a control group are needed.
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