P02-103 - Reboxetine augmentation of SSRI treatment for depression: Six-week naturalistic outcomes

Methods In a naturalistic observational study, 30 patients with moderate to severe depression (ICD-10) who failed to respond to at least 20 mg of a SSRI, were augmented with reboxetine (4 mg increased to 8 mg if tolerated). BDI-II was measured before and 6 weeks after introduction of reboxetine. Changes in BDI scores were analysed using paired t-test. Results 20 out of 30 patients were able to tolerate the combination of SSRI and reboxetine treatment for at least 6 weeks. There was a significant reduction in mean BDI-II scores from 36.6 at baseline to 27.2 at six weeks follow-up (t = 4.13, df = 29, p < 0.001). 13 out of 30 previously unresponsive patients showed a response (reduction in BDI score of at least 10 points) to combination treatment, with 5 patients achieving remission (BDI < 12) over the six weeks. Conclusions Reboxetine augmentation of SSRIs can be tolerated by a majority of patients and results in a significant increase in response rates. It is a treatment strategy that should be considered in patients with moderate to severe depression who fail to respond to first line treatment with an SSRI.