International clinical psychopharmacology
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Int Clin Psychopharmacol · Jul 1989
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical TrialA placebo-controlled inpatient comparison of fluvoxamine maleate and imipramine in major depression.
Fluvoxamine, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, was investigated in a 6-week double-blind study among severely ill inpatients with DSM-III major depression. All but 1 patient also fulfilled criteria for melancholia. Following a 3-day placebo wash-out patients were randomly assigned to fluvoxamine, imipramine or placebo. ⋯ The number of fluvoxamine patients withdrawn for side-effects was less than imipramine and not significantly different than placebo. Fluvoxamine was not associated with significant changes in vital signs, ECG or laboratory tests. The results therefore indicate that fluvoxamine is a safe and highly effective treatment for hospitalized patients with major depression.