Multicentric double-blind study comparing efficacy and safety of minaprine and imipramine in dysthymic disorders

This multicentre study compares the therapeutic efficacy and safety of minaprine (200 mg) to that of imipramine (50, 75, 100 mg) in the treatment of patients over 40 years suffering from dysthymic disorders as diagnosed according to DSM III. After 4-7 days on placebo, 67 patients were randomly assigned to receive either drug for a period of 6 weeks in a double-blind manner. As rated by the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale and evaluated by exploratory statistics, minaprine showed similar efficacy to imipramine in these patients. Minaprine was better tolerated than imipramine according to the physicians' tolerance rating (p < 0.05) and produced significantly fewer symptoms of the autonomic nervous system as compared to imipramine (p < 0.01).