[A comparative study of efficacy and tolerability of antidepressants from different classes in mild and moderate...

An effect of most known antidepressants from three classes of modern antidepressive drugs with different mechanisms of action--amitriptyline (threecyclic antidepressant), paroxetine (SSRI) and tianeptine (SSRS)--have been compared by the indices of efficacy and tolerability in patients with mild and moderate depression during 6 weeks. Though an antidepressive effect of amitriptyline and paroxetine was higher than that of tianeptine, a trend to its gradual leveling was detected in all groups at the end of the therapy. The results of subjective assessment of the drugs by patients revealed similarity between the action of paroxetine and tianeptine by tolerability as well as their common superiority over amitriptyline by efficacy. The simultaneous assessment of efficacy and tolerability of the drugs in therapy of mild and moderate depression gave preference to the most modern classes of antidepressants.