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 .
Verapamil in affective disorders: A controlled, double-blind study
Eighty-six depressed in patients were divided into four groups : patients in each of three groups were treated , respectively , with identical capsules of verapamil , amitriptyline , or placebo , whereas the fourth group was treated eclectically by the ward physician with so-called state-adjusted treatment ( SAT ) . Each treatment period lasted 5 weeks . Psychopathology was assessed with the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression , by the Zung self-rating scale , by the 100-mm analog scale , and by general clinical impression . Results indicated that amitriptyline and SAT were superior to verapamil or placebo . There was no significant difference between verapamil and placebo or between SAT and amitriptyline . This finding was more definitive in the homogeneous subgroup of 55 women with DSM-III diagnosis of Major depression . In addition , 12 manic in patients ( DSM-III ) were treated orally with verapamil , 24 with neuroleptics , and 11 with both neuroleptics and lithium carbonate . The decline of their psychopathology , assessed by the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale ( BPRS ) and general impression , was fully comparable . Using Analysis of Variance ( ANOVA ) , the statistical difference among courses of psychopathology expressed as total BPRS scores reaches borderline significance in favor of verapamil . In contrast to neuroleptics , verapamil did not induce any sedative , hypnotic , or cataleptic effects , and was well tolerated
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 .