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 comparative trial of fluoxetine versus trazodone in outpatients with major depression.
The effectiveness of fluoxetine as an antidepressant was contrasted with trazodone in a 6-week double-blind trial in 40 patients . The total score on the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression and the global improvement score on the Clinical Global Impressions scale favored trazodone at the end of 3 weeks of treatment . However , that difference was no longer apparent during the remainder of the study . The authors hypothesize that fluoxetine 20 mg/day may be an ineffective dosage of the drug or that fluoxetine has a slower onset of antidepressant action than does trazodone
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 .