Treatment with SSRIs rather than placebo was associated with clinical improvement by the end of the first week of use .
CONCLUSIONS Treatment with SSRIs is associated with symptomatic improvement in depression by the end of the first week of use , and the improvement continues at a decreasing rate for at least 6 weeks
CONTEXT Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors ( SSRIs ) are often described as having a delayed onset of effect in the treatment of depression .
However , some trials have reported clinical improvement as early as the first week of treatment .
OBJECTIVE To test the alternative hypotheses of delayed vs early onset of antidepressant action with SSRIs in patients with unipolar depression .
Antidepressant efficacy of sertraline: a double-blind, placebo- and amitriptyline-controlled, multicenter comparison study in outpatients with major depression.
A double-blind , placebo- and amitriptyline-controlled comparison study was performed to evaluate the antidepressant efficacy of sertraline , a specific serotonin uptake inhibitor . Patients with DSM-III-defined major depression r and omly received either sertraline  ( N = 149 ) , amitriptyline ( N = 149 ) , or placebo ( N = 150 ) once daily for the 8-week study period . The mean final daily medication dose for the all- patients group was 145 mg and 104 mg for the sertraline- and amitriptyline-treatment groups , respectively . As measured by the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression and the Clinical Global Impressions Scale , both the sertraline and amitriptyline treatment groups showed a significantly greater improvement from baseline ( p less than or equal to .001 ) than the placebo group . The sertraline group had a higher proportion of gastrointestinal complaints and male sexual dysfunction than either the amitriptyline or the placebo group . The amitriptyline group showed a higher proportion of anticholinergic and sedative side effects and dizziness compared with patients who received either sertraline or placebo
Treatment with SSRIs rather than placebo was associated with clinical improvement by the end of the first week of use .
CONCLUSIONS Treatment with SSRIs is associated with symptomatic improvement in depression by the end of the first week of use , and the improvement continues at a decreasing rate for at least 6 weeks
CONTEXT Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors ( SSRIs ) are often described as having a delayed onset of effect in the treatment of depression .
However , some trials have reported clinical improvement as early as the first week of treatment .
OBJECTIVE To test the alternative hypotheses of delayed vs early onset of antidepressant action with SSRIs in patients with unipolar depression .