Amitriptyline is an efficacious antidepressant drug .
It is , however , also associated with a number of side effects .
Degree of placebo response and severity of depression at baseline may moderate drug-placebo efficacy differences
BACKGROUND Amitriptyline is a tricyclic antidepressant that was synthesis ed in 1960 and introduced as early as 1961 in the USA , but is still regularly used .
It has also been frequently used as an active comparator in trials on newer antidepressants and can therefore be called a ' benchmark ' antidepressant .
However , its efficacy and safety compared to placebo in the treatment of major depression has not been assessed in a systematic review and meta- analysis .
OBJECTIVES To assess the effects of amitriptyline compared to placebo or no treatment for major depressive disorder in adults .
PREDICTORS OF RESPONSE TO AMITRIPTYLINE AND PLACEBO IN THREE OUTPATIENT TREATMENT SETTINGS
The present report examines the predictors and modifiers of response to amitriptyline in an effort to : identify variables whose effects on drug response are general enough to apply to a range of patient types and treatment setting s , isolate predictors , and evaluate the extent to which contrasting conditions across treatment setting s may lead to contrasting predictors of treatment effects . The sample comprised moderately depressed neurotic out patients from three treatment setting s : 84 clinic patients from an outpatient clinic in a city hospital , 95 patients from the private practice of general practitioners , and 78 patients from the private practice of a group of psychiatrists . Potential predictors from which regressors in a step search multiple regression procedure could be selected were : patient demographic and attitudinal characteristics , assessment s of presenting illness and its history , and evaluations of aspects of the patient-therapist interaction
Amitriptyline is an efficacious antidepressant drug .
It is , however , also associated with a number of side effects .
Degree of placebo response and severity of depression at baseline may moderate drug-placebo efficacy differences
BACKGROUND Amitriptyline is a tricyclic antidepressant that was synthesis ed in 1960 and introduced as early as 1961 in the USA , but is still regularly used .
It has also been frequently used as an active comparator in trials on newer antidepressants and can therefore be called a ' benchmark ' antidepressant .
However , its efficacy and safety compared to placebo in the treatment of major depression has not been assessed in a systematic review and meta- analysis .
OBJECTIVES To assess the effects of amitriptyline compared to placebo or no treatment for major depressive disorder in adults .