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Comparison of mirtazapine and fluoxetine in the treatment of major depressive disorder: a double-blind, randomized trial

2005; Wiley; Volume: 30; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1111/j.1365-2710.2004.00585.x

1365-2710

Homayoun Amini‎, Hamid Reza Aghayan, S. A. Jalili, Shahin Akhondzadeh, Omid Yahyazadeh, Mahdi Pakravannejad,

Bipolar Disorder and Treatment

Depression is an international public health problem. The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy and tolerability of mirtazapine and fluoxetine treatment in a sample population consisting of Iranian patients suffering major depressive disorder.Thirty-six inpatients and outpatients with a diagnosis of major depressive disorder (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-IV) and a score > or = 18 on the 17-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAM-D-17) were randomly assigned to 6 weeks of treatment with mirtazapine (30 mg/day) or fluoxetine (20 mg/day). Efficacy was assessed by HAM-D-17. Information about adverse events was obtained by questioning of participants and/or their examination. Assessments were performed at weeks 0, 1, 2, 3, 4 and 6.Sixteen of mirtazapine-treated patients and fifteen of fluoxetine-treated patients completed the 6-week study period. Both treatment groups were well matched at baseline with respect to demographic and disease characteristics. Both drugs showed a significant improvement over the 6 weeks of treatment (P < 0.001). There was no statistically significant difference between the mean +/- SEM HAM-D scores of two groups at weeks 1, 2, 3, 4, and at the end point. There were no significant differences between two groups in terms of response to treatment (> or = 50% decrease from baseline in HAM-D-17 total score) and remission (HAM-D-17 score of < or = 7). None of the differences in reported adverse events was statistically significant.In this study, mirtazapine and fluoxetine were equally effective and well tolerated after 6 weeks of treatment in patients with major depressive disorder.