Efficacy of acupuncture at ghost points combined with fluoxetine in treating depression: A randomized study

Abstract

Background: Depression affects more than 350 million people worldwide. In China, 4.2% (54 million people) of the total population suffers from depression. Psychotherapy has been shown to change cognition, improve personality, and enhance the ability to cope with difficulties and setbacks. While pharmacotherapy can reduce symptoms, it is also associated with adverse reactions and relapse after drug withdrawal. Therefore, there has been an increasing emphasis placed on the use of non-pharmacological therapies for depression. The hypothesis of this study was that acupuncture at ghost points combined with fluoxetine would be more effective than fluoxetine alone for the treatment of depression.

Aim: To investigate the efficacy of acupuncture at ghost points combined with fluoxetine for the treatment of patients with depression.

Methods: This randomized controlled trial included patients with mild to moderate depression (n = 160). Patients received either acupuncture at ghost points combined with fluoxetine (n = 80) or fluoxetine alone (control group, n = 80). Needles were retained in place for 30 min, 5 times a week; three treatment cycles were administered. The Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare functional magnet resonance imaging parameters, Hamilton depression rating scale (HAMD) scores, and self-rating depression scale (SDS) scores between the acupuncture group and control group.

Results: There were no significant differences in HAMD or SDS scores between the acupuncture group and control group, before or after 4 wk of treatment. The acupuncture group exhibited significantly lower HAMD and SDS scores than the control group after 8 wk of treatment (P < 0.05). The acupuncture group had significantly lower fractional Amplitude of Low Frequency Fluctuations values for the left anterior wedge leaf, left posterior cingulate gyrus, left middle occipital gyrus, and left inferior occipital gyrus after 8 wk. The acupuncture group also had significantly higher values for the right inferior frontal gyrus, right insula, and right hippocampus (P < 0.05). After 8 wk of treatment, the effective rates of the acupuncture and control groups were 51.25% and 36.25%, respectively (P < 0.05).

Conclusion: The study results suggest that acupuncture at ghost points combined with fluoxetine is more effective than fluoxetine alone for the treatment of patients with mild to moderate depression.

Keywords: Acupuncture; Depression; Fluoxetine; Ghost point; Resting state magnetic resonance; Traditional Chinese medicine.