The Efficacy of Fluoxetine Versus Maprotiline in Depressed Patients and by Dose

The authors studied the antidepressant effect to ascertain optimal dose & assessed the safety profile of fluoxetine compared with maprotiline. On the basis of weekly analysis, significant improvement was seen with both drugs although a reduction of symptoms was seen earlier in the maprotiline group. However, when the scores measuring suicidal thoughts were compared, there was a significant difference in favour of the patients treated with fluoxetine. (10 refs.)