Bupropion and thiothixene versus placebo and thiothixene in the treatment of depression in schizophrenia

The authors performed a double‐blind study in which 38 inpatients diagnosed as schizophrenic with depressive symptoms were treated with either bupropion and thiothixene or placebo and thiothixene. Of the 36 patients who completed 4 weeks of study treatment, the placebo‐thiothixene treated patients did significantly better than the bupropion‐thiothixene treated patients on BPRS total scores as well as anxiety and depression items. The bupropion‐thiothixene treated patients reported significantly more dry mouth and constipation than the placebo‐thiothixene treated group, whereas the placebo‐thiothixene treated group reported more frequent occurrences of increased appetite, menstrual disturbance, and decreased sex drive. Neither group differed on ratings of pseudoparkinson or dyskinetic signs. The antidepressant bupropion as an adjunct to thiothixene was less effective in the treatment of depressed schizophrenic patients than the antipsychotic alone and appeared to inhibit the therapeutic effects of thiothixene primarily in the depressive symptoms of the syndrome.