Opipramol in the climacteric syndrome. A double-blind, placebo-controlled trial

In a double-blind trial, 48 women suffering from post-menopausal complaints were randomly allocated to an 8-wk course of treatment with opipramol (50 mg sugar-coated tablets) or an identical placebo. Autonomic nervous system instability (7 target symptoms) and depression (10 target symptoms) were scored at the beginning of the trial and after 1, 2, 4, 6 and 8 wk and a final assessment was made at the end of the trial. A daily record of hot flushes was kept by the patients. Opipramol brought about an approximately 50% reduction in the symptoms, but a considerable placebo effect was noticed also. It was found that opipramol treatment was significantly better than placebo treatment (P less than 0.01) in reducing hot flushes after 2 mth of therapy. The symptoms of depression were significantly reduced in the opipramol group, as compared with the placebo group. No significant reduction could be seen in the vasomotor symptoms. The final assessment at the end of the trial period showed a significant difference (P less than 0.05) in favour of opipramol.