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 .
Response to phenelzine and amitriptyline in subtypes of outpatient depression.
Out patients with depression and mixed anxiety-depression were treated for six weeks with phenelzine sulfate , amitriptyline hydrochloride , or placebo in a controlled trial . Both active drugs were superior to placebo and were closely comparable in efficacy . Interactions were examined between drug response and classifications based on three different usages of the term atypical depression : additional anxiety or phobic symptoms , atypical functional shift , and nonendogenous depression . Some additional related classifications were also included . There was a tendency for phenelzine to have stronger effects in patients with additional anxiety and without evidence of chronic characterological depression . However , interactions were relatively few . These findings suggest that the two classes of antidepressant affect similar clinical subgroups within the outpatient depressive spectrum , with only relatively weak differences
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 .