Adding Exercise to Antidepressant Medication Treatment for Depression

Not Applicable

Completed

• Conditions: Depression
• Interventions: Behavioral: SSRI + PHD; Behavioral: SSRI + LD

• Registration Number: NCT00076258
• Lead Sponsor: University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center

Brief Summary

This study will assess the effectiveness of an exercise program in improving antidepressant medication treatment for individuals with major depressive disorder (MDD).

Detailed Description

Partial response to antidepressant treatment is common in people with MDD and is associated with significant morbidity and reduced quality of life. Pharmacological therapies have been used to augment the effect of antidepressants; however, such therapies are associated with a range of adverse effects. Studies indicate that exercise may be safe and effective in augmenting depression treatment. This study will determine whether exercise can complement selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) therapy in people with MDD who have residual symptoms of depression despite drug treatment.

Participants will be randomly assigned to either high frequency exercise or low frequency exercise for 12 weeks. Depression symptoms will be measured weekly. Quality of life and satisfaction with the study will also be measured. Depression scales and self-reports will be used to assess participants.

Study Timeline

• Study Start: 2003-04
• Study First Submitted: 2004-01-16
• Study First Submitted QC: 2004-01-16
• Study First Posted: 2004-01-19
• Primary Completion: 2006-10
• Study Completion: 2007-08
• Results First Submitted: 2015-11-17
• Results First Submitted QC: 2016-10-14
• Results First Posted: 2016-12-07
• Status Verified: 2020-09
• Last Update Submitted: 2020-09-01
• Last Update Posted: 2020-09-23

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: COMPLETED
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 126

Inclusion Criteria

• Diagnosis of Major Depressive Disorder
• Score of 14 or higher on the Hamilton Depression Scale (HAM-D)
• 8 to 12 weeks of SSRI treatment, with at least 6 weeks at adequate doses
• Sedentary lifestyle
• Physically capable of exercise
• Body mass index (BMI) less than 40 kg/m2
• Willing and able to comply with study requirements

Exclusion Criteria

• Significant cardiovascular disease or other medical conditions
• Uncontrolled hypertension
• Abnormal exercise stress test
• Hematologic disorders
• Comorbid disorders, including depression due to another comorbid condition, psychotic disorder, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, eating disorder, or obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)
• Alcohol and/or substance abuse in the past 6 months
• Hospitalization for mental illness within the past year
• High suicide risk
• Use of psychopharmacological or psychotherapeutic treatment other than SSRIs
• Failure to respond to two or more adequate pharmacological treatments during the current depressive episode
• Significantly elevated blood lipids
• Pregnancy

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: PARALLEL

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
SSRI+ PHD	SSRI + PHD	A public health dose of aerobic exercise (PHD) augmentation intervention to SSRI
SSRI+ LD	SSRI + LD	A low dose aerobic exercise (LD) augmentation intervention to SSRI

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Percentage of Participants With Remission (Score of 12 or Less on Inventory for Depressive Symptomatology- Clinician-rated)	12 weeks	The primary outcome measure- percentage of participants with remission (score of 12 or less on Inventory for Depressive Symptomatology- Clinician-rated). The change over time in probability of remission (IDS-C30 score ≤ 12) was compared between groups using a generalized linear mixed model (GLMM)41 as implemented in SAS (Proc Glimmix; SAS Institute Inc, Cary, North Carolina).

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas; 🇺🇸 Dallas, Texas, United States