Mirtazapine was significantly more effective than a serotonin-noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor ( venlafaxine only , two trials , n = 415 ) at two weeks ( OR 2.29 , 95 % CI 1.45 to 3.59 ) and at the end of acute-phase treatment ( OR 1.53 , 95 % CI 1.03 to 2.25).In terms of dropouts , there was no robust evidence to detect a difference between mirtazapine and other antidepressants .
Mirtazapine was more likely to cause weight gain or increased appetite and somnolence than SSRIs but less likely to cause nausea or vomiting and sexual dysfunction .
AUTHORS ' CONCLUSIONS Some statistically significant and possibly clinical ly meaningful differences between mirtazapine and other antidepressive agents were found for the acute-phase treatment of major depression .
Mirtazapine is likely to have a faster onset of action than SSRIs during the acute-phase treatment .
Dropouts occur similarly in participants treated with mirtazapine and those treated with other antidepressants , although the adverse event profile of mirtazapine is unique
BACKGROUND Mirtazapine has a unique mechanism of antidepressive action and is one of the commonly used antidepressants in clinical practice .
OBJECTIVES The aim of the present review was to assess the evidence on the efficacy and acceptability of mirtazapine compared with other antidepressive agents in the acute-phase treatment of major depression in adults .
Sertraline versus fluoxetine in the treatment of major depression: a combined analysis of five double‐blind comparator studies
& NA ; The aim of this study was to examine response and remission rates in out patients treated with sertraline or fluoxetine who were suffering from two depression subtypes : anxious‐depression and severe depression . Data were pooled from five double‐blind studies comparing fluoxetine versus sertraline for the treatment of DSM‐III‐R or IV major depression . Clinical outcome was assessed using the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale ( HAM‐D ) and the Clinical Global Impression‐Improvement scale ( CGI‐I ) . One thous and and eighty‐eight patients were r and omized , with 654 ( 60 % ) meeting criteria for anxious depression and 212 ( 19 % ) meeting criteria for high severity depression . For the total sample , treatment response was similar for both sertraline and fluoxetine . In the high severity subgroup , the mean ( ±SD ) HAM‐D score at week 12 was 8.9±5.7 for sertraline and 10.8±6.9 for fluoxetine ( P=0.07 ) , and the mean ( ±SD ) CGI‐I score was 1.5±0.7 for sertraline and 2.0±1.1 for fluoxetine  ( P=0.005 ) . CGI‐I responder rates were 88 % versus 71 % ( P=0.03 ) in the high severity subgroup , and 84 % versus 79 % ( P=0.16 ) in the anxious‐depression subgroup . Overall , sertraline and fluoxetine showed comparable antidepressant efficacy , although sertraline may offer an advantage in those patients with severe depression
Mirtazapine was significantly more effective than a serotonin-noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor ( venlafaxine only , two trials , n = 415 ) at two weeks ( OR 2.29 , 95 % CI 1.45 to 3.59 ) and at the end of acute-phase treatment ( OR 1.53 , 95 % CI 1.03 to 2.25).In terms of dropouts , there was no robust evidence to detect a difference between mirtazapine and other antidepressants .
Mirtazapine was more likely to cause weight gain or increased appetite and somnolence than SSRIs but less likely to cause nausea or vomiting and sexual dysfunction .
AUTHORS ' CONCLUSIONS Some statistically significant and possibly clinical ly meaningful differences between mirtazapine and other antidepressive agents were found for the acute-phase treatment of major depression .
Mirtazapine is likely to have a faster onset of action than SSRIs during the acute-phase treatment .
Dropouts occur similarly in participants treated with mirtazapine and those treated with other antidepressants , although the adverse event profile of mirtazapine is unique
BACKGROUND Mirtazapine has a unique mechanism of antidepressive action and is one of the commonly used antidepressants in clinical practice .
OBJECTIVES The aim of the present review was to assess the evidence on the efficacy and acceptability of mirtazapine compared with other antidepressive agents in the acute-phase treatment of major depression in adults .