[Comparison between every-day and every-3-days fluoxetine in young, moderately depressed out-patients].
Fluoxetine is now a well-known and often-used specific serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) and antidepressant. It has a very long active half-life, from 2-16 days. Our hypothesis was that sufficient therapeutic effectiveness would be achieved by prescribing the drug less frequently than once a day. To establish whether there is a difference between fluoxetine given daily or every 3 days, we assigned 25 outpatients with mild to moderate, acute major depressions (DSM-IV) to receive fluoxetine (20 mg), either each day or every 3 days. The study was open-labelled, using for assessment the HAM-D, GHQ-28 side-effect checklist and clinical judgment questionnaires. Follow-up lasted 6 months. Results indicated no differences in the clinical outcomes, except for slightly fewer side-effects in the study group. Although the open label design limits drawing definitive conclusions, our preliminary results provide more information, and support our hypothesis that low-dosage fluoxetine is beneficial. However, more comprehensive, double-blind studies are necessary to confirm our preliminary results.
Psychiatric Dept., Soroka Medical Center, Beer Sheba.
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D000328:Adult; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000188:drug therapy*; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D005260:Female; D005473:Fluoxetine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors
D005473:Fluoxetine; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors