An antidepressant that modifies sleep-wake cycles proved effective for treating major depression, while also improving the sleep quality of patients, Australian scientists said on Wednesday.
Often people with depression go off their medication because they experience side effects such as weight gain or sexual dysfunction.
However, a study by two Australian scientists, published in British medical journal The Lancet, found a synthetic compound called agomelatine can improve patients' sleep patterns, while avoiding some of the undesirable side effects of other drugs.
According to Naomi Rogers, one of the researchers behind the study, often depression medication can just make the situation worse.
"A lot of people don't want to go on medications that cause the sexual function with the weight gain, or they have that happen and decide to stop taking the medication," she told ABC News on Wednesday.
Rogers, from the Central Queensland University, said agomelatine is a nicer drug when it comes to side effects.
"Previously people have often focused just on the mood disruption that's associated with depression," she said.
"We know there's a lot of other symptoms that impact people with depression such as sleep disturbance and the circadian disruptions.
"So we're looking at different approaches that target more of the symptoms and then help to improve overall symptoms and quality of life for these patients."
Rogers said in several of the reviewed studies, the drug was found to be as effective as several widely prescribed selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), including Effexor, Prozac, and Zoloft.
She said many patients who took agomelatine have reported improved sleep quality and reduced waking after going to sleep.
Agomelatine was recently approved in Europe and Australia for the treatment of depression, but studies are still under way in the U.S.