[Customary antidepressive treatment in Hungary: moclobemid therapy in everyday practice]

Treatment data with moclobemide have been obtained from clinical practices of 91 Hungarian psychiatrists. Three hundred and twenty seven patients were included in the multicenter postmarketing surveillance study and observed during an 8 week treatment period. The mean age of the patients was 50 years, 71% were woman and 33% were outpatients. Sixty-five percent had preexisting depression. Previous antidepressant treatment for this episode had been received by 45%, with the most common reasons for change to moclobemide being inadequate response. Moclobemide was indicated in patients with mainly moderate to severe major depression and dysthymia. The frequency of comorbidity was 44%. The dosage of moclobemide was usually started at 300 or 450 mg/day and increased to 600 mg/day only in some patients. Three divided daily dosages were administered in 53% of the patients. Nine percent discontinued the treatment before the end of the observation period. 87% had no reported adverse events. The most common adverse events were sedation (3.7%), agitation (3%) and insomnia (3%). Concommitant medication from all major drug groups were taken by 250 (76.6%) patients, with no adverse interactions. The current therapeutic habits of the Hungarian psychiatrists in treatment of depression were also revealed. The findings in the normal clinical psychiatric practice suggest that moclobemide is a safe drug with excellent tolerability in the treatment of various subgroups of depressive disorders and especially useful in patients with coexisting physical illness. Moclobemide is a favourable alternative to the modern effective antidepressant agents in the Hungarian clinical practice.