Acta psychiatrica Scandinavica
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Acta Psychiatr Scand · Feb 1998
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Comparative Study Clinical TrialDouble-blind study of the efficacy and safety of milnacipran and imipramine in elderly patients with major depressive episode.
The novel antidepressant agent milnacipran is a dual and equipotent serotonin and noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor. The aim of this double-blind study was to compare the efficacy and safety of milnacipran (50 mg twice daily) with that of imipramine (50 mg twice daily) in elderly patients with major depressive episode. ⋯ A significantly greater number of side-effects, particularly anticholinergic effects, was observed in the imipramine group. Milnacipran may be preferable to imipramine in elderly depressed patients, as it provides the same antidepressant activity as imipramine with a lower incidence of side-effects, and does not impair cognitive ability.