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 multicentre open trial of fluoxetine in depressed out-patients in Belgium.
Fluoxetine hydrochloride ( ProzacR , Lilly ) , a new antidepressant that specifically inhibits serotonin reuptake was evaluated in an open comparative trial performed in 8 Belgian centres over a period of 9 months . Seventy-six out patients were enrolled of which 66 were evaluable . Thirty-six patients received an 8 week fluoxetine treatment and 31 patients received tricyclic antidepressants ( TCA ) . Patients from both treatment groups were evaluated for safety and the fluoxetine treated group of patients was assessed for efficacy . On the Hamilton Depression Scale , the mean score dropped from 26.4 to 7.0 after 8 weeks ( p less than 0.0001 ) . The Clinical and Patient 's Global Impression scores showed a similar evolution . Patients treated with fluoxetine tended to report fewer side-effects than the TCA treated group . Therefore fluoxetine can be regarded as an efficient antidepressant which is at least as well tolerated as TCAs
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 .