Clinical trial comparison of a sustained release form of amitriptyline with dothiepin

A double-blind between-group trial was undertaken in fifty depressed patients to compare the efficacy of a sustained release form of amitriptyline (Lentizol) with dothiepin (Prothiaden) over a 5-week period. Patients fulfilling defined admission criteria were randomly allocated to treatment with evening dosage of either 50 mg of the sustained release preparation or 75 mg of dothiepin for the first week of the trial. Subject to review as necessary, these dosages were doubled at the end of the first week. Both drugs effected significant and appreciable improvement over the 5-week period, with the mean responses at the end of the trial retaining the same relative positions as at the beginning.