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 .
Alprazolam, amitriptyline, doxepin, and placebo in the treatment of depression.
Five hundred four out patients suffering from a major depressive episode were r and omly assigned to receive either amitriptyline , doxepin , alprazolam , or placebo . The study was conducted in three treatment centers during a six-week period . All three active medications produced significantly more clinical improvement than did placebo , irrespective of the patient 's initial anxiety , depression , and psychomotor retardation and irrespective of the patient 's assignment to various subtypes of depression , including the DSM-III melancholia subtype . Compared with placebo , sedation was reported more frequently with all three medications , whereas anticholinergic effects were reported more frequently only for the two tricyclic antidepressants , but not for alprazolam
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 .