Antidepressants for depressed patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: A systematic review and network meta-analysis of short-term randomized controlled trials

This network meta-analysis compared the short-term treatment effects of different antidepressants on depression severity and HbA1c in depressed patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). We searched 8- to 24-week randomized-controlled trials (RCTs) in PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and Clinicaltrials.gov on November 22, 2021. We included 12 RCTs (N = 792) studying agomelatine, citalopram, escitalopram, fluoxetine, nortriptyline, no treatment, paroxetine, sertraline, vortioxetine, and placebo. Compared to placebo, the standardized mean differences and 95% confidence intervals (SMD, 95%CIs) for depression severity reduction revealed that escitalopram ranked first (−2.93, −3.92 to −1.94), followed by agomelatine (−0.68, −1.15 to −0.20). Compared to placebo, the mean differences (MDs, 95%CIs) for HbA1c reduction suggested that vortioxetine ranked first (−2.35, −4.13 to −0.57), followed by escitalopram (−1.00, −1.42 to −0.57) and agomelatine (−0.79, −1.16 to −0.42). Limited evidence from short-term trials in depressed patients with T2DM suggests that escitalopram and agomelatine may have a favorable profile in reducing depression and controlling glycemic goals, but more trials are required.