ALPRAZOLAM AND AMITRIPTYLINE IN THE TREATMENT OF MODERATE DEPRESSION

Forty-three out-patients with depression of a moderate degree were enr olled in a randomized, double-blind parallel group study comparing ami triptyline and alprazolam for 6 weeks of treatment. Patients were eval uated at the end of placebo washout and at Weeks 1, 2, 3 and 6 of drug therapy using the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D), Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAM-A), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and Clin ical Global Impression (CGI). Drug dosage was determined in a fixed-fl exible design resulting in mean final doses of alprazolam 3.2 mg/day a nd of amitriptyline 115 mg/day. Although both drug groups improved the re were statistically significant differences in favour of amitriptyli ne at the end of the study on the HAM-D, BDI and HAM-A scales. Patient s on amitriptyline reported more side effects overall than patients ta king alprazolam with significantly more reports of dry mouth in the am itriptyline group.