Conclusions : International differences in prescriber behaviour may influence , and in turn be influenced by , the conduct of clinical trials .
Objective : International differences are thought to exist in dosages used by clinicians treating mood disorders .
This study examined international dosage differences in antidepressant clinical trials , using a data base formed and maintained as a component of a Cochrane review of comparative clinical trials of fluoxetine .
A comparison of fluoxetine imipramine and placebo in patients with bipolar depressive disorder.
This was a 6-week , double-blind comparison of fluoxetine , imipramine , and placebo in 89 patients with bipolar depression . Using the criteria of greater than or equal to 50 % improvement in the HAMD-total score after at least 3 weeks on study drug , endpoint analysis showed 86 % of the fluoxetine-treated patients improved compared with 57 % of the imipramine-treated and 38 % of the placebo-treated patients . Significantly fewer fluoxetine-treated patients discontinued due to adverse events than did imipramine-treated patients ( 7 % vs. 30 % , respectively )
Conclusions : International differences in prescriber behaviour may influence , and in turn be influenced by , the conduct of clinical trials .
Objective : International differences are thought to exist in dosages used by clinicians treating mood disorders .
This study examined international dosage differences in antidepressant clinical trials , using a data base formed and maintained as a component of a Cochrane review of comparative clinical trials of fluoxetine .