Current medical research and opinion
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Fluvoxamine and imipramine in the treatment of depressive patients: a double-blind controlled study.
A double-blind, controlled study was carried out in 20 patients diagnosed as suffering from depressive disorder according to DSM-III criteria to compare the effectiveness and tolerability of fluvoxamine, a serotonin re-uptake inhibitor, with that of imipramine. Patients were allocated at random to receive one or other drug for a period of 4 weeks, dosage starting at 50 mg for the first 3 days and increasing to 100 mg daily for a further 3 days. Dosage was continued at this level for the remainder of the trial but was increased, if necessary, to 150 mg daily in two divided doses. ⋯ Tolerability was assessed using the Dosage Record and Treatment Emergent Symptom Scale. The results showed that at the end of the trial there was a significant reduction in depressive symptoms severity in both groups and that fluvoxamine was significantly more effective than imipramine in reducing suicidal ideas and anxiety/somatic symptoms. Both drugs were relatively well tolerated but the side-effect profiles were different, being mainly of the anticholinergic type with the tricyclic and gastro-intestinal with fluvoxamine.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Etizolam in the treatment of generalized anxiety disorder: a double-blind study versus placebo.
A double-blind, placebo-controlled study was carried out in 36 patients diagnosed as suffering from Generalized Anxiety Disorder with associated depressive symptoms to assess the efficacy and tolerability of two unitary doses of etizolam. After a 1-week wash-out period on placebo, patients were assigned at random to receive 1 tablet twice daily of either 0.50 mg or 0.25 mg etizolam or placebo for 5 weeks. ⋯ Analysis of the results from the remaining 26 patients showed that, at the 0.50 mg dosage level, etizolam produced significant improvement in anxiety and depressive symptoms, particularly somatic manifestations, and was significantly more effective than placebo or the 0.25 dosage regimen. Etizolam was generally well tolerated and the few side-effects reported, mainly daytime drowsiness, were of mild to moderate severity.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Controlled trial of an elbow support ('Epitrain') in patients with acute painful conditions of the elbow: a pilot study.
A randomized, controlled, parallel-group study was undertaken to assess the clinical efficacy of a new elbow support ('Epitrain') compared with a standard elasticated tubular stockinette support ('Tubigrip') in 35 patients with acute painful elbow disorders. On entry, patients had a clinical examination, including measurement of the range of active and passive movement of the affected joint, and were allocated to one or other treatment group (19 to 'Epitrain', 16 to control). All patients were allowed to take 1g paracetamol up to 4-times daily if necessary for the control of pain. ⋯ The mean range of active joint movement improved from 80 degrees to 141 degrees in the 'Epitrain' group, but only from 83 degrees to 98 degrees in the control group (p less than 0.0002). Similar results were obtained for passive joint movement. Overall, 13 (68%) of the 19 patients in the 'Epitrain' group were described as 'cured' as compared with 2 (13%) of the 16 patients in the control group (p less than 0.02).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical Trial Controlled Clinical Trial
A double-blind, long-term study of tizanidine ('Sirdalud') in spasticity due to cerebrovascular lesions.
A double-blind study was carried out in 30 patients suffering from spasticity due to cerebrovascular lesions to compare the long-term efficacy and tolerability of tizanidine hydrochloride with that of baclofen. A 2-week titration phase identified the optimum dose of tizanidine (max. 20 mg/day) or baclofen (max. 50 mg/day) in each patient. Patients were then treated with this dose for a 50-week maintenance phase. ⋯ Side-effects in the tizanidine group were mild and transient and no patients discontinued the study; in the baclofen group, 3 patients discontinued the study due to severe side-effects. However, both drugs were assessed as effective and fairly well tolerated in the long-term. Although there were no statistically significant differences between the two drugs, the global assessment of antispastic efficacy revealed a nearly significant difference (p = 0.057) in favour of tizanidine and the global assessment of tolerability was also in favour of tizanidine.
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Comparative Study
Metformin efficacy and tolerance in obese non-insulin dependent diabetics: a comparison of two dosage schedules.
A comparative open study of metformin unit doses of 500 mg and 850 mg was carried out in 64 obese, non-insulin dependent diabetics on 1.5 to 3 g metformin daily. Glycaemic response, blood lactate, plasma metformin concentrations and tolerance for metformin were assessed. ⋯ Seven patients (3 asymptomatic and 4 with background symptoms) became intolerant of the 850 mg regimen and required to return to the 500 mg dose regimen. After exclusion of patients intolerant of the 850 mg dose regimen (11%), the remaining patients noted no significant change in symptoms and 28% of all patients transferred to the 850 mg dose unit indicated an overall preference for this regimen.