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The Forced Swim Test as a Model of Depressive-like Behavior
Published on: March 2, 2015
Fluvoxamine versus other anti-depressive agents for depression
Ichiro M Omori1, Norio Watanabe, Atsuo Nakagawa
1Department of Psychiatry & Cognitive-Behavioral Medicine, Nagoya City University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Mizuho-cho, Mizuho-ku, Nagoya, Japan, 467-8601.
The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews
|March 19, 2010
Summary
Fluvoxamine shows no significant difference in efficacy or tolerability compared to other antidepressants for major depression. However, it is associated with more gastrointestinal side effects like nausea and vomiting.
Area of Science:
- Psychiatry and Pharmacology
- Evidence-Based Medicine
Background:
- Fluvoxamine, an early selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), is widely used for major depression.
- Previous reviews on fluvoxamine's efficacy and tolerability are outdated.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate fluvoxamine's effectiveness, tolerability, and side effect profile against other antidepressants.
- Comparison includes tricyclics (TCAs), heterocyclics, SSRIs, SNRIs, and newer agents.
Main Methods:
- Systematic search of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) from multiple databases and registers.
- Inclusion of all published RCTs comparing fluvoxamine with active antidepressants in acute major depression treatment.
- Data extraction and bias assessment by two independent reviewers; analysis using odds ratios and standardized mean difference with a random effects model.
Main Results:
- 54 RCTs (5122 participants) were included in the analysis.
- No strong evidence indicates fluvoxamine is superior or inferior to other antidepressants in response, remission, or tolerability.
- Fluvoxamine showed a higher incidence of gastrointestinal side effects, such as nausea and vomiting, compared to certain other antidepressants.
Conclusions:
- Fluvoxamine's efficacy and tolerability are comparable to other antidepressants for acute major depression.
- Significant differences in side effect profiles exist, particularly gastrointestinal issues.
- Clinicians should consider these side effect differences in treatment decisions for major depression.
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