Vortioxetine- New antidepressant that improves sleep also

Initiating treatment with new antidepressant vortioxetine in patients affected by major depressive disorder (MDD) and complaining of insomnia leads to significant improvements in subjective sleep quality and daytime sleepiness, according to a new study.

Findings of the study published in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology may have important clinical implications because an estimated 70 to 90 per cent of patients with depression are affected by sleep problems. Moreover, sleep impairment may worse depressive symptoms and impair life quality of depressed patients.

Vortioxetine differs from selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors that are prescribed to treat depression because it has a multimodal effect on serotonin transport and reuptake.

Claudio Liguori, Sleep Medicine Centre, Neurophysiopathology Unit, Department of Systems Medicine, University of Rome “Tor Vergata”, Rome, Italy, and colleagues retrospectively evaluated a group of 15 patients affected by MDD and complaining of insomnia, who started Vortioxetine (VOR) treatment for their depressive symptoms.

The following questionnaires were captured at baseline and follow‐up: Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI).

• PSQI total score significantly decreased between baseline and follow‐up (p<0.01), and in several sub‐items related to sleep quality and continuity.


• ESS decreased between follow‐up and baseline (p<0.01).


• BDI reduction was also evident between follow‐up and baseline (p<0.01).

"Considering that sleep impairment is a frequent comorbid symptom in patients affected by the major depressive disorder, we suggest the possible use of vortioxetine for treating depressive symptoms and improving sleep quality in patients showing comorbid depression and insomnia," the authors wrote.