Paroxetine combined with traditional chinese medicine prescriptions in the treatment of postpartum depression: A systematic review of randomized controlled trials

Background

Postpartum depression is a common mental disease in obstetric puerperium. Its etiology is not completely clear, and its clinical manifestations are complex. It has serious adverse effects on the body and mind of mothers and infants. Treatment should also follow the principle of individualization. Preliminary studies have shown that traditional chinese medicine prescriptions combined with paroxetine is effective in treating postpartum depression. In order to better determine the therapeutic effect, further exploration was carried out.

Hypothesis

Does the study better evaluate the therapeutic effect and provide data support for clinical promotion?

Study Design

The search comes from using the following electronic databases established until January 2022.

Study Results

The meta analysis results show that paroxetine combined with traditional chinese medicine prescriptions can reduce the Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD) score [WMD = −7.35, 95 % CI (−10.84, −3.87), P＜0.001] and Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale (EPDS) score [WMD = −3.24, 95 % CI (−5.96, −0.53), P < 0.001].And better than paroxetine treatment alone in terms of improving clinical efficacy [RR = 1.22, 95 % CI (1.16, 1.30), P < 0.001].

Conclusions

Based on the combination of paroxetine and traditional chinese medicine prescriptions in the treatment of postpartum depression, there is a certain clinical effect, and a strong research design and a certain number of RCTs are required at the same time. Future research should clarify the specific composition and composition of traditional Chinese medicine prescriptions.