Effectiveness of Buspirone in Alleviating Anxiety Symptoms in Patients with Depressive Disorder: A Multicenter Prospective Observational Study in Korea
Young Sup Woo1,2,*, Won-Seok Choi1,*, Jong-Hyun Jeong1, Jonghun Lee3, Do-Hoon Kim4, Jong-Chul Yang5, Se-Hoon Shim6, Seung-Gul Kang7, Young-Eun Jung8, Won Kim9, Chi-Un Pae1, Won-Myong Bahk1
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
Correspondence to: Won-Myong Bahk
Department of Psychiatry, Yeouido St. Mary’s Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, 10 63-ro, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul 07345, Korea
E-mail: wmbahk@catholic.ac.kr
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0156-2510

*These authors contributed equally to this study as co-first authors.
Received: October 28, 2024; Revised: November 12, 2024; Accepted: November 13, 2024; Published online: December 3, 2024.
© The Korean College of Neuropsychopharmacology. All rights reserved.

This is an Open-Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
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.
Keywords: Depression; Anxiety; Anxious depression; Buspirone

This Article

e-submission

Archives