Conclusions : International differences in prescriber behaviour may influence , and in turn be influenced by , the conduct of clinical trials .
Objective : International differences are thought to exist in dosages used by clinicians treating mood disorders .
This study examined international dosage differences in antidepressant clinical trials , using a data base formed and maintained as a component of a Cochrane review of comparative clinical trials of fluoxetine .
A comparison of fluoxetine and imipramine in the treatment of outpatients with major depressive disorder
A double‐blind clinical trial was undertaken to evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of fluoxetine compared with imipramine in the treatment of 59 out patients suffering from major depressive disorder . The mean scores of all depression rating scales showed that the drugs had comparable efficacy . The side effect profile of imipramine was found to be mainly anticholinergic , which was not the case for fluoxetine , where it was mainly found to be gastrointestinal , such as nausea and diarrhoea . In both groups the total number of adverse events reported were the same . Fluoxetine treatment result ed in weight loss , whereas imipramine treatment result ed in a slight but significant weight increase
Conclusions : International differences in prescriber behaviour may influence , and in turn be influenced by , the conduct of clinical trials .
Objective : International differences are thought to exist in dosages used by clinicians treating mood disorders .
This study examined international dosage differences in antidepressant clinical trials , using a data base formed and maintained as a component of a Cochrane review of comparative clinical trials of fluoxetine .