SSRIs significantly increase the risk of both serious and non-serious adverse events .
The potential small beneficial effects seem to be outweighed by harmful effects .
Background The evidence on selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors ( SSRIs ) for major depressive disorder is unclear .
Methods Our objective was to conduct a systematic review assessing the effects of SSRIs versus placebo , ‘ active ’ placebo , or no intervention in adult participants with major depressive disorder .
A placebo-controlled study of fluoxetine versus imipramine in the acute treatment of atypical depression.
OBJECTIVE The atypical subtype of depression appears to be both well vali date d and common . Although monoamine oxidase inhibitors are effective in treating atypical depression , their side effects and prescription-associated dietary restrictions reduce their suitability as a first-line treatment . The objective of this study was to estimate the efficacy of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor ( SSRI ) fluoxetine in the treatment of major depression with atypical features . METHOD One hundred fifty-four subjects with DSM-IV major depression who met the Columbia criteria for atypical depression were r and omly assigned to receive fluoxetine , imipramine , or placebo for a 10-week clinical trial . Imipramine was included because its known efficacy for treatment of atypical depression helped to calibrate the appropriateness of the study group . RESULTS In both intention-to-treat and completer groups , the effectiveness of both fluoxetine and imipramine was significantly better than that of placebo . The two medications did not differ from each other in effectiveness . Significantly more patients dropped out of treatment with imipramine than with fluoxetine . Before treatment , patients on average rated themselves as very impaired on psychological dimensions of general health and moderately impaired on physical dimensions , compared with population norms . The self-ratings of patients who responded to treatment essentially normalized on these measures . CONCLUSIONS Despite earlier data that SSRIs might be the treatment of choice , fluoxetine appeared to be no better than imipramine in the treatment of atypical depression , although fluoxetine was better tolerated than imipramine
SSRIs significantly increase the risk of both serious and non-serious adverse events .
The potential small beneficial effects seem to be outweighed by harmful effects .
Background The evidence on selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors ( SSRIs ) for major depressive disorder is unclear .
Methods Our objective was to conduct a systematic review assessing the effects of SSRIs versus placebo , ‘ active ’ placebo , or no intervention in adult participants with major depressive disorder .