Treating the depressed elderly patient: the comparative behavioral pharmacology of mianserin and amitriptyline

MIA is an effective antidepressant, comparable in therapeutic efficacy to the TCAs. Further, because of its weak antimuscarinic effects. Further, because of its weak antimuscarinic effects, MIA produces no significant cognitive impairment, alteration of cardiovascular function of anticholinergic side effects compared to the TCA's. While drowsiness is the most frequently reported adverse reaction with MIA, an h.s. dosing schedule can provide relief of insomnia and improve the quality of sleep (47,61). Therefore, because of MIA's advantageous pharmacodynamic profile, it offers an improvement in therapeutic index over the TCAs in the treatment of depression in the elderly.