The Journal of clinical psychiatry
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Fluoxetine in depressed patients: a comparison with imipramine.
The clinical efficacy and safety of fluoxetine and imipramine were compared in a double-blind, 5-week, parallel study in 40 depressed outpatients. Mean scores for most depression scales improved more in patients taking fluoxetine than in those receiving imipramine (p less than .05). ⋯ Seven fluoxetine patients and 14 imipramine patients reported one or more adverse effects during treatment; no fluoxetine patient terminated the study early for drug-related reasons. It was concluded that fluoxetine provides effective antidepressant activity with fewer and less troublesome side effects than imipramine.