title: In-patient major depression: is rolipram as effective as amitriptyline?
abstract: The antidepressant efficacy and adverse-effects of rolipram (a dialkoxyphenyl-2-pyrrolidone) were compared to those of amitriptyline in the treatment of depressive illness requiring hospital admission in a double-blind study. Fifty patients meeting DSM-III criteria for Major Depression whose scores on the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRSD) remained above 17 after 5 to 7 days on placebo were randomly allocated to either treatment. The rate of recovery in those patients treated by amitriptyline was substantially greater than in those patients treated by rolipram. Twice as many patients dropped out of treatment by rolipram because of lack of efficacy or adverse-effects compared with patients treated by amitriptyline. Rolipram produced fewer adverse-effects attributable to cholinergic blockade, but more nausea. We conclude that amitriptyline is more effective than rolipram in the treatment of depressed hospital in-patients.
authors.affiliation: University Department of Psychiatry, Royal Edinburgh Hospital, UK.
authors.forename: A I
authors.initials: AI
authors.lastname: Scott
authors.forename: A F
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Perini
authors.forename: P A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Shering
authors.forename: L J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Whalley
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000639:Amitriptyline / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000928:Antidepressive Agents / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000188:drug therapy*; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D004341:Drug Evaluation; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011760:Pyrrolidinones / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D020889:Rolipram
chemical_list: D000928:Antidepressive Agents; D011760:Pyrrolidinones; D000639:Amitriptyline; D020889:Rolipram