Mirtazapine was significantly more effective than a serotonin-noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor ( venlafaxine only , two trials , n = 415 ) at two weeks ( OR 2.29 , 95 % CI 1.45 to 3.59 ) and at the end of acute-phase treatment ( OR 1.53 , 95 % CI 1.03 to 2.25).In terms of dropouts , there was no robust evidence to detect a difference between mirtazapine and other antidepressants .
Mirtazapine was more likely to cause weight gain or increased appetite and somnolence than SSRIs but less likely to cause nausea or vomiting and sexual dysfunction .
AUTHORS ' CONCLUSIONS Some statistically significant and possibly clinical ly meaningful differences between mirtazapine and other antidepressive agents were found for the acute-phase treatment of major depression .
Mirtazapine is likely to have a faster onset of action than SSRIs during the acute-phase treatment .
Dropouts occur similarly in participants treated with mirtazapine and those treated with other antidepressants , although the adverse event profile of mirtazapine is unique
BACKGROUND Mirtazapine has a unique mechanism of antidepressive action and is one of the commonly used antidepressants in clinical practice .
OBJECTIVES The aim of the present review was to assess the evidence on the efficacy and acceptability of mirtazapine compared with other antidepressive agents in the acute-phase treatment of major depression in adults .
Double-blind, multicenter comparison of sertraline and amitriptyline in elderly depressed patients.
Two hundred forty-one elderly depressed patients entered the 8-week , double-blind phase of this parallel-group , multicenter study ; 161 patients were r and omized to receive sertraline ( 50 - 200 mg/day ) and 80 were r and omized to receive amitriptyline  ( 50 - 150 mg/day ) . Among evaluable patients , there were no statistically significant differences between treatments in any of the primary efficacy variables : change in total Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression ( HAM-D ) score ( 17 items ) , percentage change in HAM-D score , change in HAM-D Item 1 , change in Clinical Global Impressions ( CGI ) Severity score , change in the Depression Factor of the 56-item Hopkins Symptom Checklist , and the CGI Improvement score at the last visit . Similar results were obtained using data from all patients ( intention-to-treat analysis ) , except that amitriptyline was superior in HAM-D Total score ( p = .044 ) . The two drugs produced a similar degree of response : on the basis of the HAM-D criterion , 69.4 % of sertraline patients and 62.5 % of amitriptyline patients responded , and , on the basis of CGI criterion , 79.5 % of sertraline and 73.4 % of amitriptyline patients responded . Twenty-eight percent of the sertraline patients withdrew from the study because of a treatment-related side effect and 2.5 % ( 4 ) because of a laboratory abnormality . In comparison , 35 % of the amitriptyline patients withdrew because of treatment-related side effects . Sertraline was associated with a statistically lower frequency of somnolence , dry mouth , constipation , ataxia , and pain and a higher frequency of nausea , anorexia , diarrhea/loose stools , and insomnia ; thus , anticholinergic effects were less common and gastrointestinal effects were more common with sertraline than with amitriptyline . ( ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS
Mirtazapine was significantly more effective than a serotonin-noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor ( venlafaxine only , two trials , n = 415 ) at two weeks ( OR 2.29 , 95 % CI 1.45 to 3.59 ) and at the end of acute-phase treatment ( OR 1.53 , 95 % CI 1.03 to 2.25).In terms of dropouts , there was no robust evidence to detect a difference between mirtazapine and other antidepressants .
Mirtazapine was more likely to cause weight gain or increased appetite and somnolence than SSRIs but less likely to cause nausea or vomiting and sexual dysfunction .
AUTHORS ' CONCLUSIONS Some statistically significant and possibly clinical ly meaningful differences between mirtazapine and other antidepressive agents were found for the acute-phase treatment of major depression .
Mirtazapine is likely to have a faster onset of action than SSRIs during the acute-phase treatment .
Dropouts occur similarly in participants treated with mirtazapine and those treated with other antidepressants , although the adverse event profile of mirtazapine is unique
BACKGROUND Mirtazapine has a unique mechanism of antidepressive action and is one of the commonly used antidepressants in clinical practice .
OBJECTIVES The aim of the present review was to assess the evidence on the efficacy and acceptability of mirtazapine compared with other antidepressive agents in the acute-phase treatment of major depression in adults .