ARE SELECTIVE SEROTONIN REUPTAKE INHIBITORS WELL TOLERATED IN SOMATIZING DEPRESSIVES

This retrospective evaluation included 89 patients who participated in two independent clinical investigations of the antidepressant medicat ions paroxetine and fluoxetine. Baseline gastrointestinal (GI) somatic symptoms, as indicated by the baseline scores on the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAM-D) items 11, 12, and 16, the Symptom Checkli st (SCL) items 19 and 40, and the Covi Anxiety Scale somatic anxiety i tem were analyzed for their discriminative ability in predicting which patients would subsequently develop adverse GI side effects on medica tion. Subjects with baseline complaints of nausea or upset stomach (SC L #40), GI somatic symptoms (HAM-D #11 and #12, Covi somatic anxiety), or weight loss (HAM-D #16) were not statistically mote likely to deve lop GI side effects on paroxetine or fluoxetine. Only a baseline compl aint of appetite loss (SCL #19) was associated with subsequent GI side effects on paroxetine to a statistically significant degree (p < .05) .