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 .
Comparison of adinazolam, amitriptyline, and placebo in the treatment of melancholic depression
Adinazolam , a triazolobenzodiazepine , was compared with amitriptyline and placebo in a double-blind protocol involving melancholic depressives . Forty-eight patients entered the study , and 35 completed 6 weeks of evaluation . Patients were well matched in each of the groups . Initially , the adinazolam group showed more improvement than the placebo group , but this trend did not persist beyond day 7 . The amitriptyline group tended to show more improvement than either the placebo or adinazolam groups , and final scores were significantly better for amitriptyline . Depressive symptoms in the amitriptyline dropout group appeared improved , whereas in the adinazolam and placebo dropout groups they were unchanged or worse . Both amitriptyline and adinazolam were more frequently associated with complaints of side effects than placebo . Thus , amitriptyline was observed to be superior to adinazolam and placebo in improvement in depressive symptoms while adinazolam had only a brief early advantage over placebo
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 .