Effects of paroxetine combined with low-dose quetiapine on stress response and endocrine function in patients with treatment-resistant depression and sleep disorders

Background: Depression is a common mental disorder. Patients with treatment-resistant depression (TRD) often experience sleep disorders (SD), which interact with each other and aggravate the deterioration of the disease. Objective: In this study, we analyzed the effect of paroxetine combined with low-dose quetiapine on patients with treatment-resistant depression complicated by sleep disorders. Methods: We divided treatment-resistant depression + sleep disorders 120 patients into a control group treated with paroxetine and a research group treated with paroxetine + low-dose-quetiapine. Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD-17), Self-rating Anxiety and Depression Scale (SAS/SDS), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and serum indexes (cortisol, epinephrine, thyroid hormone, etc.) were used to analyze the data. Results: In terms of clinical efficacy, the research group demonstrated superior efficacy. Besides, the research group showed lower self-rating anxiety/depression scale scores than the control group after treatment (P0.05). Conclusion: Paroxetine combined with a low dose of quetiapine is a clinically effective approach for treatment-resistant depression with sleep disorders and is recommended for clinical use.