Recent epidemiological and clinical studies have described the importance of timing the medications according to the individuals biological clock to improve their effectiveness and reduce side effects. 

The present study investigated the association of escitalopram dosing time with treatment response and changes in global depressive and insomnia symptoms after 8-week of treatment in a naturalistic setting in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD).

The study enrolled 71 patients with MDD taking Escitalopram. It assessed the severity of depressive symptoms of all patients using the 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) at the baseline and eight weeks after the antidepressant treatment. It classified the patients into the Morning or Evening/Night group according to their time of escitalopram single dose.

The study found no association between the time of escitalopram single dose (morning vs. evening/night) and treatment response after eight weeks of treatment when controlling for potential confounding factors in patients with MDD. It found no significant difference in changes in total HDRS score and insomnia-related subscale score between the Morning and Evening/ Night groups.

The present study suggests that the time of escitalopram single dose neither affects the treatment response nor changes the global depressive and insomnia symptoms after eight weeks of treatment in a naturalistic setting.

Han K-M, Yoon H-K. Comparison of Morning and Evening/Night Dosing on the Efficacy of Escitalopram in Major Depressive Disorder at Naturalistic Setting. Chronobiology in Medicine 2019;1(4):152-156. DOI: https://doi.org/10.33069/cim.2019.0029