Some statistically significant differences between citalopram and other antidepressants for the acute phase treatment of major depression were found in terms of efficacy , tolerability and acceptability .
Citalopram was more efficacious than paroxetine and reboxetine and more acceptable than tricyclics , reboxetine and venlafaxine , however , it seemed to be less efficacious than escitalopram .
BACKGROUND Recent US and UK clinical practice guidelines recommend that second-generation antidepressants should be considered amongst the best first-line options when drug therapy is indicated for a depressive episode .
Systematic review s have already highlighted some differences in efficacy between second-generation antidepressants .
Citalopram , one of the first selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors ( SSRI ) introduced in the market , is one of these antidepressant drugs that clinicians use for routine depression care .
OBJECTIVES To assess the evidence for the efficacy , acceptability and tolerability of citalopram in comparison with tricyclics , heterocyclics , other SSRIs and other conventional and non-conventional antidepressants in the acute-phase treatment of major depression .
Escitalopram in the treatment of impulsive-compulsive internet usage disorder: an open-label trial followed by a double-blind discontinuation phase.
BACKGROUND Isolated reports suggest that escitalopram may be effective for impulsive-compulsive Internet usage disorder ( IC-IUD ) , an impulse-control disorder characterized by excessive time spent on the Internet at the expense of occupational , relationship , and social activities . To assess the safety and efficacy of escitalopram in IC-IUD , we conducted a 10-week , open-label trial followed by a 9-week , double-blind , placebo-controlled discontinuation phase . METHOD From December 2002 to October 2004 , 19 adult subjects with IC-IUD ( defined as time consuming , uncontrollable , distressing , and result ing in social , occupational , or financial difficulties ) were enrolled .  Escitalopram was started at 10 mg/day , then increased and maintained at 20 mg/day for 10 weeks at the end of which completers were r and omly assigned to placebo or escitalopram for 9 additional weeks . Two key outcome measures were used : hours spent weekly in nonessential Internet use and overall clinical response ( subjects rated " much improved " or " very much improved " on the Clinical Global Impressions-Improvement scale [ CGI-I ] ) . RESULTS Fourteen subjects completed the entire study . At the end of the 10th week of open-label esci-talopram , Internet usage decreased significantly from a mean of 36.8 hours/week at baseline to 16.5 hours/week ( paired t test : t = 3.58 ; p = .002 ) . In addition , 64.7 % of the sample ( N = 11 ) were considered CGI-I responders . At the end of the double-blind phase , there were no significant differences in outcome measures between patients taking placebo compared to escitalopram ( analysis of variance with repeated measures , p > .05 ) . CONCLUSION Patients showed a significant improvement of IC-IUD symptoms during the open-label escitalopram phase . There was no significant difference between the escitalopram and placebo groups at the end of the subsequent double-blind phase ; both groups maintained the gains made in the initial open-label treatment . Larger controlled trials are needed to investigate the efficacy of this and other pharmacologic agents in the treatment of IC-IUD . TRIAL REGISTRATION clinical trials.gov Identifier : NCT00565422
Some statistically significant differences between citalopram and other antidepressants for the acute phase treatment of major depression were found in terms of efficacy , tolerability and acceptability .
Citalopram was more efficacious than paroxetine and reboxetine and more acceptable than tricyclics , reboxetine and venlafaxine , however , it seemed to be less efficacious than escitalopram .
BACKGROUND Recent US and UK clinical practice guidelines recommend that second-generation antidepressants should be considered amongst the best first-line options when drug therapy is indicated for a depressive episode .
Systematic review s have already highlighted some differences in efficacy between second-generation antidepressants .
Citalopram , one of the first selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors ( SSRI ) introduced in the market , is one of these antidepressant drugs that clinicians use for routine depression care .
OBJECTIVES To assess the evidence for the efficacy , acceptability and tolerability of citalopram in comparison with tricyclics , heterocyclics , other SSRIs and other conventional and non-conventional antidepressants in the acute-phase treatment of major depression .