A double-blind placebo-controlled study of fluvoxamine and imipramine in depression

Outpatients with major affective disorder, unipolar depressed type (N=101), were treated in a 4-week placebo-controlled double-blind study to compare the efficacy and safety of fluvoxamine, a new serotonin reuptake inhibitor antidepressant, with imipramine and placebo. Therapy was initiated at 50 mg/day; thereafter, dosage ranged between 100 and 300 mg/day for both drugs. Results indicate statistically significant efficacy, measured by both patient and physician rating scales, for both active drugs over placebo. Fluvoxamine showed some evidence of earlier onset of action. Anticholinergic side effects were more common in the imipramine-treated patients, while fluvoxamine produced more gastrointestinal distress and insomnia.