title: Evaluation of double-blind comparison of fluvoxamine and paroxetine in the treatment of depressed outpatients in menopause transition.
abstract: To evaluate the efficacy of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) fluvoxamine and paroxetine in treating depression in the menopausal transition and to compare their efficacy, safety, side-effect profiles and drug compliance. One hundred and five perimenopausal patients (51.3 +/- 2.5 yr of age) were randomly assigned to receive a dosage of 50 mg/day of fluvoxamine (n=53) or 20 mg/day of paroxetine (n=52). The visual analog scale (VAS), Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAM-D) and Hamilton Rating Scale for Anxiety (HAM-A) scores were evaluated before and after 3 months of therapy in the two groups of women. Significant reduction in HAM-D and HAM-A scores was observed in both groups of women, without significant difference between the two groups. VAS score in the fluvoxamine group (-62.6 +/- 5.2%) was significantly lower than that in the paroxetine group (-51.1 +/- 4.3%) (P < 0.0001). Although fluvoxamine compares favourably with paroxetine in rate of reduction of VAS score, this study suggests that both SSRIs are effective for and tolerated in depressed perimenopausal outpatients.
authors: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Osaka Medical College, Takatsuki, Osaka 569-8686, Japan. gyn003@poh.osaka-med.ac.jp
authors: T
authors: T
authors: Ushiroyama
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Ikeda
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Ueki
mesh_terms: D018687:Antidepressive Agents, Second-Generation / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000523:psychology; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D016666:Fluvoxamine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D008593:Menopause; D008875:Middle Aged; D017374:Paroxetine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D018687:Antidepressive Agents, Second-Generation; D016666:Fluvoxamine; D017374:Paroxetine; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors