Effect of escitalopram combined with oxcarbazepine for patients with epilepsy complicated with depression

Objective：To explore the effect and safety of escitalopram combined with oxcarbazepine in treatment of patients with epilepsy complicated with depression. Methods：A total of 126 patients with epilepsy complicated with depression were randomly divided into the observation group and the control group ( 63 patients in each group). Patients in the control group were treated with escitalopram, and patients in the observation group were treated with escitalopram and oxcarbazepine. The clinical efficacy was observed, and the changes of depression, anxiety, and the levels of serum 5-hydroxytryptamine 1A (5-HT1A) receptor, dopamine (DA), and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) before and after treatment were compared in the two groups. The incidence of adverse reactions was statistically analyzed. Results：The total effective rate of the observation group was 96.83%, which was higher than that in the control group (77.78%, P<0.01). The scores of Hamilton depression scale (HAMD) and Hamilton anxiety scale (HAMA) were lower in the observation group than those in the control group (P<0.001). The levels of 5-HT1A receptor and DA in the observation group were higher than those in the control group, and the level of TNF-α was lower than that in the control group (P<0.001). The incidence of adverse reactions in the observation group was 7.94%, which was lower than that in the control group (14.29%), but the difference had not statistic significance. Conclusions：Escitalopram combined with oxcarbazepine can relieve depression and anxiety of patients with epilepsy complicated with depression, and improve the levels of 5-HT1A receptor and DA, and decrease the TNF-α level, with an acceptable security, which might be superior to the escitalopram alone.