Are there differences between women's and men's antidepressant responses?
OBJECTIVE
The study examined a large data set to determine whether patients' sex affected the outcome of antidepressant treatment.


METHODS
Data for 1,746 patients aged 18-65 years who had been treated with tricyclic antidepressants, monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs), fluoxetine, or placebo were examined in a retrospective analysis to determine whether men and women differed in their responses to antidepressants. To examine the effect of menopausal status in the absence of data on individual patients' menopausal status, results for female patients younger or older than age 50, 52, 54, and 56 were compared.


RESULTS
Men and women both younger and older than age 50 had equivalent response rates to tricyclics and fluoxetine. Women had a statistically superior response to MAOIs. Placebo response was equivalent across all groups.


CONCLUSIONS
Neither sex nor menopausal status may be relevant in antidepressant treatment of adult depressed patients up to 65 years of age. Although women had a statistically superior response to MAOIs, this difference may not be clinically relevant.
Quitkin
Frederic M
FM
Department of Therapeutics, New York State Psychiatric Institute and Columbia university college of Physicians and Surgeons, New York 10032, USA. quitkin@pi.cpmc.columbia.edu
Stewart
Jonathan W
JW
McGrath
Patrick J
PJ
Taylor
Bonnie P
BP
Tisminetzky
Mayra S
MS
Petkova
Eva
E
Chen
Ying
Y
Ma
Guoguang
G
Klein
Donald F
DF
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000928:Antidepressive Agents / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000929:Antidepressive Agents, Tricyclic / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000523:psychology; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D005473:Fluoxetine / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008996:Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D010555:Personality Inventory; D017698:Postmenopause / Q000523:psychology; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D012737:Sex Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D000928:Antidepressive Agents; D000929:Antidepressive Agents, Tricyclic; D008996:Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors; D005473:Fluoxetine