Objective: To investigate the effect of concomitant use of benzodiazepines on the efficacy of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) in patients with treatment-resistant major depressive disorder (TR-MDD).
Methods: This is a retrospective study comparing rTMS treatment outcomes between patients taking benzodiazepines ( n = 59) and those who were not ( n = 136). Participants completed the HAM-A, HAM-D17, MADRS and ZUNG at baseline and at the end of treatment.
Results: Patients taking benzodiazepines during rTMS treatment did not show any difference in partial response, response or remission rates compared to patients not treated with benzodiazepines. There was a significant decrease ( p < .0001) in depression and anxiety scores from baseline to post-treatment among both groups.
Conclusions: Concomitant benzodiazepine treatment had no effect on the efficacy of rTMS treatment of TRD, contrary to previous research.
Competing Interests: DisclosureThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.