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 .
Social skills training compared with pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy in the treatment of unipolar depression.
The authors contrasted four treatments for unipolar ( nonpsychotic ) depression : 1 ) amitriptyline , 2 ) social skills training plus amitriptyline , 3 ) social skills training plus placebo , and 4 ) psychotherapy plus placebo . They studied 72 female out patients , 52 of whom completed the 12 weeks of treatment . The four treatments , conducted by experienced clinicians , were not substantially different from one another . Each treatment produced significant and clinical ly meaningful changes in symptomatology and social functioning . However , the authors identified several notable differences across groups : a significant difference in dropout rates ( from a high of 55.6 % for the amitriptyline group to a low of 15 % for the social skills plus placebo group ) and a significant difference in the proportion of patients who were substantially improved . The social skills plus placebo treatment was the most effective treatment on this dimension
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 .