Lack of anticholinergic side effects with a new antidepressent--trazodone

An analysis was made of the occurrence of anticholinergic side effects in 15 multicenter studies of 379 patients with endogenous depression who received either trazodone, imipramine, or placebo. The incidence of 4 anticholinergic side effects was examined: dry mouth, blurred vision, bowel movement disturbance, and delayed urine flow. When the number of patients having each of the 4 symptoms was compared, there were no statistically significant differences in the incidence of side effects between the trazodone and placebo groups. However, comparisons between trazodone and imipramine indicated the incidence of side effects was significantly lower in the trazodone group.