Efficacy and Safety of Shuganjieyu Capsule Alone or in Combination with Other Antidepressants in the Treatment of Postpartum Depression: A Meta-Analysis

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of Shuganjieyu capsule alone or in combination with other antidepressants in the treatment of postpartum depression. METHODS: Related control and randomized studies till August 1, 2021, were retrieved from the following databases: PubMed, Cochrane, CNKI, CMB, Wan-Fang, and VIP. Outcomes included HAMD reduction from baseline, response rate, and adverse events rate. Review Manager 5.3 was used in the present meta-analysis. RESULTS: 16 studies including 1409 participants were included in the present study. In comparison of single Shuganjieyu capsule versus regular antidepressant, 8, 6, and 4-week HAMD reduction of the Shuganjieyu group were significantly higher (8-week MD: 3.1 (1.54, 4.66), p < 0.0001; 6-week MD: 0.71 (0.10, 1.31), p=0.02; and 4-week MD: 0.82 (0.34, 1.30), p=0.0008), response rates were comparable for the two groups (OR: 1.51 (0.87, 2.63), p=0.014), and the adverse event rate of the Shuganjieyu group was significantly lower (OR: 0.22 (0.15, 0.32), p < 0.00001). In comparison of combination of Shuganjieyu capsule with regular antidepressant versus regular antidepressant alone, the 8, 6, 4, 2, and 1-week HAMD reduction and response rate of combination of Shuganjieyu with the regular antidepressant group were significantly larger (8-week MD: 3.2 (1.34, 5.06), p=0.0007; 6-week MD: 4.00 (2.72, 5.28), p < 0.00001; 4-week MD: 3.33 (1.94,4.73), p < 0.00001; 2-week MD: 2.69 (1.34, 4.03), p < 0.0001; 1-week MD: 2.27 (0.69, 3.86), p=0.005; and response rate OR: 4.69 (2.27, 9.68), p < 0.0001) and the adverse event rate was comparable for the two groups (OR: 1.26 (0.73, 2.17), p=0.41). CONCLUSION: Compared with regular antidepressants, single Shuganjieyu capsule has similar efficacy and better safety profile; when Shuganjieyu capsule is combined with regular antidepressants, the efficacy is improved significantly without increasing adverse events. Therefore, Shuganjieyu capsule was effective and safe for postpartum, making it worth further investigation and popularization.