THE EFFICACY AND SAFETY OF TIANEPTINE IN THE TREATMENT OF DEPRESSIVE DISORDER - RESULTS OF A CONTROLLED DOUBLE-BLIND MULTICENTER STUDY VS AMITRIPTYLINE

Three hundred in- and outpatients suffering from depressive disorder, as diagnosed using DSM-III criteria were treated for 6 weeks under dou ble-blind conditions in a multicenter controlled study of tianeptine v s. amitriptyline. Both groups presented steady improvement of depressi ve syndrome from day 7 up to the end of the treatment, as shown by all evaluation scales: HDRS, SAD, CGI. Furthermore, anxiety linked to the depressive syndrome decreased equally in both groups, as shown by the HARS measurements. In addition to the improvement of mood, the tianep tine-treated patients presented less somatic complaints and side effec ts when compared to the reference antidepressant. These results confir m previous findings that tianeptine is an effective antidepressant wit h a lower side effect profile than amitriptyline.