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 .
A double-blind, randomized, group-comparative study of the tolerability and efficacy of 6 weeks' treatment with mirtazapine or fluoxetine in depressed Chinese patients.
AIM To compare the efficacy and tolerability of mirtazapine and fluoxetine treatment in a sample population consisting of Chinese patients suffering moderate-to-severe depression . METHOD 133 patients with a diagnosis of major depressive episode ( DSM-IV ) and scoring 15 or more on the 17-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression ( HAM-D ) were r and omly assigned to receive 6 weeks of treatment with either mirtazapine ( 15 - 45 mg/day ) or fluoxetine ( 20 - 40 mg/day ) . Efficacy was assessed using the HAM-D and Clinical Global Impressions scale , with analyses performed on the intent-to-treat sample using the last-observation-carried-forward method . Safety analysis was based on the all-subjects-treated group . RESULTS Mean daily doses were 34.1 mg for mirtazapine ( N = 66 ) and 30.7 mg for fluoxetine ( N = 66 ) . Thirty patients in the mirtazapine group and 22 in the fluoxetine group dropped out . Both drugs proved equally effective for reduction of the overall symptoms of depression throughout the treatment period . At day 42 , the mean reductions in HAM-D total score ( compared with baseline ) were 11.8 and 10.6 for the mirtazapine and fluoxetine groups , respectively ; however , the changes were not statistically significant . Both treatments were well tolerated , with more nausea and influenza-like symptoms observed for the fluoxetine group , and greater weight increase and somnolence for the mirtazapine analog . CONCLUSION Both mirtazapine and fluoxetine were indistinguishable in effectiveness for treatment of depressive symptoms , and both were well tolerated by our population of depressed Chinese patients . In line with analogous Western reports , the safety of mirtazapine and fluoxetine was comparable for our depressed Chinese patients ; however , slightly different side effect profiles were noted for the 2 drugs in our study
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 .